Woodbridge LIFE

February

LIFE W ood bridge Volume 4 ▪ Issue 2 Your Life. Your Community. Your News. February ▪ 2014

Love is in the air This month

Love is in the air at Woodbridge and this edition might have more than a few residents reaching for a tissue. We have stories of love, life, courage, heartache, death, drought and dedication. We have an article about our very own Grande Dame of Dialogue, Betty Dravis. We have a few new advertisers, club and group information, bridge scores and more. We even added a MAN page. Hats off to WBL contributors, Judge

Jim Cadle and Ray Noble. Both are attending the Creative Writing class offered by Phil Bookman and agreed to share some of their homework with our readers. Good stuff! ~Deb Ristau

InsideBedford and Hancock . . . 31Bridge Scores . . . . . . . . 8Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Committees . . . . . . . . . 16 Day Tripping . . . . . . . . . . . 31Events and Tours . . . . . . . 17Garden Tasks . . . . . . . . 32Groups and Clubs . . . . . . 34Where in the World . . . 38WOA Update . . . . . . . . . . 4

READ WBL ONLINE :http://issuu.com/woodbridgelife

Contact us:[email protected]

cHappy Valentine's Day!

Donna and Robert Ybarra

Chuck and Mary Gary

Melinda and Gary Fiorio

Dick and Carol Turner

Marge and Paul Hanz

Kathy and Mike Belcher

Page 2 • February 2014 Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net

Editor's Viewpoint:

Dodie Miller, WOA Activities Director

Deb RistauWoodbridge LIFE Editor

From Dodie's Desk:By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

We’re off to a brand new year and looking at some additions

to the schedule of events in our Clubhouse. Last year we enjoyed many events and activities with our Woodbridge neighbors and made some new friends, too.

2013 Events Included:The Johnny Cash & Patsy Cline

show, Hobo Dinner, Sip for Scholarship, Happy Hours on the Patio, Cheese Buffet Tasting from the Calaveras Cheese Lady; Taco feeds, Fifth Year Clubhouse Anniversary, Arts & Crafts Workshop, Spring Garden Tour, Drama plays, Luau, Fashion Show Luncheon, Mark Stone Mentalist, George Burns “Alive Again,” Beach Boys Tribute, Veterans Vaudeville Show, Golf Cart Poker Run, Brubeck Jazz Quartet, Speaker Series, Residents’ Art Show, Wheels of Woodbridge Car Show, Meet the Candidates Night and election of two new Resident Directors, Strummin’ Wonders Ukulele concerts, Woodbridge Singers concerts, Wine and Cheese socials, Casino trips, Walk-a-Thon for Breast Cancer, Halloween Costume Party, Oktoberfest, Breakfasts, Joni Morris Show, Children’s Christmas Party, Holiday Homes Tour, Christmas

"Really? But I have so much more to do!"

My husband does not cook. Some men do. Mine does not. It's

important to reiterate that point. He depends on me for nourishment and he likes good food. For the past 23 years, I've been a great cook. Lately, not so much. He doesn't complain. The look on his face, however, speaks louder than words.

I made a New Year’s resolution. We moved

to Woodbridge to enjoy ourselves and our life together. I'm taking Pam Phelps’ advice from last month: Be good to yourself. But, I'm adding, Be good to your spouse, too.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. I have a weakness for taking on more than I can handle. No more overloading for me. There are so many wonderful events and activities here at Woodbridge and I admire those who can do it all. I'm pacing myself for 2014 because fixing a fabulous meal for the man I adore is more important to me than being a good student in Phil Bookman's creative writing class. Although I'd really like to participate in writing class ... and Drama, Veterans, Wine 101, WOW, Book Club and learn to paint ... I'm working on my time management issues and keeping my priorities in order.

Make the most of this Valentine's Day if you are lucky enough to have a Valentine. Activities Director Dodie Miller has several events scheduled to help you celebrate with love in the air.

As for me, this old fashioned girl will be trying to keep my Valentine happy, improving time management skills and fixing David's favorite meal, Osso Buco. c

4,888 Miles

Two months ago, I had the joyful opportunity to interview

one of our unique Woodbridge residents, Betty Dravis. Today, you get to meet her, too. If you are Internet savvy, I invite you to go to her website, check out her books and get to know this fascinating lady. She's also on Facebook and has a large following of admirers and fans. Betty is one of the Dames of Dialogue, a frequent reviewer for Amazon and has a movie deal in the works. Not bad for a "little old lady from Woodbridge."

I also was fortunate to meet another resident, Phil Bookman. Phil read about my offer to help start a new group and gave me a call. He was willing to teach a creative writing class if we could get enough interest, but not too much, because too many students might be just that, too many.

We ran a notice in Woodbridge LIFE, put out a flyer and

people showed up. The monthly class has been interesting and lively with guest speakers and thought-provoking assignments.

I've been a bad student. I missed class and assignments because I needed those hours and minutes to get our Woodbridge LIFE ready for press last month. I found myself envious of people who are more efficient managers of time.

My husband was concerned because I was locked away on the computer working on the paper. "What's for dinner?" he asked with one eyebrow arched. "You do realize it's nearly eight o'clock and you have been at that since five this morning?"

Golf Cart Parade, The Swingin’ Blue Stars Singers, Women of Woodbridge Tea, Chili and Baked Potato Feed, and these are not all of what you participated in in 2013 ending with a New Year’s Eve celebration bringing in 2014!I would like to extend a BIG

THANK YOU again to the Woodbridge Lifestyle Committee: Jacqueline Andrews, Sandi Bosse, Penny Dauler, Jane Kerr and Kaye Sanchez for helping to plan and coordinate the New Year’s Eve party and for all the events and activities they work on throughout the year. Without their help, the New Year’s Eve party would not have gone off so smoothly. Also, my thanks to volunteers Craig and Karla Hoyer, Garry Kerr, Dan and Birdie Nieri and Al Sanchez. Your help is much appreciated.

See you at Tea Time!February 15 and 16

Page 2 • February 2014 Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net www.ourwoodbridge.net Woodbridge LIFE Page 3 • February 2014


WOA Update

Kayo ArmstrongExecutive Director

By Kayo Armstrong

Entry Fountains Shut Down in Current Drought Environment

In an effort to conserve water in the current drought environment, the WOA has voluntarily and temporarily turned off the entry fountains at Del Webb and Union. To protect the equipment and structure, we will keep the filter pumps running. The greater water usage comes from the fountains themselves rather than the basin, so this direction will enable us to conserve water while still maintaining the integrity of the equipment, structure and system.

Classified Ads on the PortalPosting a classified ad on the portal is easy. To post

your ad, go to the portal tab labeled “Classified,” then select “Submit a Classified” from the drop down menu. Enter your information and hit “Submit.” The WOA staff will then post your classified ad. If you would like to include a photo with your listing, please email the digital photo to [email protected], specifying the associated ad, and it will be posted with your listing.Groups and Clubs on the Portal

Group and club members can easily communicate important information by utilizing the “Discussion Group” feature of the portal. To receive information pertinent to the group or club, simply subscribe to the appropriate discussion group. You can do this by selecting “Discussion Groups” on the pull down menu of the “Stay Connected” tab. From there, scroll down to find the group you’re interested in and click “View.” You will then be able to view any discussion items related to the group. In the upper right corner of this screen, you have the option to “Subscribe” to this group. By clicking on “Subscribe,” you will then receive an email any time anyone posts a new message to this group. If your club or group of interest is not listed, please send an email to [email protected] and we’ll add a new group listing. Each group or club may have up to TWO portal managers who have access to additional features. If your group has designated you for this role, and you have not yet received GROUP portal training, please contact Kayo at 824-7831 or kayo.woodbridge@

It is often asked, “What happens after I complete

and submit a non-compliance or complaint form to the Clubhouse front desk?” So, I’d like to take this opportunity to outline the process:

If you are concerned about something your neighbors are doing or a modification they’ve made to their property and want the Association to address it, you may complete a non-compliance/complaint form and submit it to me through the front desk or via email at [email protected]. Upon receipt of your complaint, I will review, verify as appropriate and respond accordingly:

• If the complaint is outside the Association’s jurisdiction, either I, or my representative, will inform you of this and provide suggestions of how you may best handle your situation.

• If the complaint is something I can address within our staff, I will address it and inform you of the solution, ask further questions or in some cases, let you know why your request might not be feasible.

• If the complaint requires that a non-compliance letter be sent to the resident in violation, I will

forward the complaint on to Riverside, our management company.

When Riverside receives the complaint, the submitting resident will be notified of receipt and Riverside will then generate a non-compliance letter to the homeowner in

reference to the reported violation.

To maintain confidentiality, Riverside will not disclose who filed the complaint.

When this letter is received by the

homeowner reported to be in violation, hopefully the homeowner will correct the situation or respond to Riverside appropriately. If the issue of the original complaint continues, after two to three weeks of submitting the initial complaint, additional non-compliance forms should be completed and submitted again to the front desk or directly to me. Each additional complaint is forwarded to Riverside, and another letter is sent.

If the homeowner reported to be in violation does not correct the issue or respond favorably after three complaints for the same issue, this homeowner will be called to a hearing with the Board. At this hearing, the Board will discuss the issue with the homeowner and seek correction, whether by imposing a fine or other disciplinary action, or the homeowner correcting the inappropriate action or

behavior. Again, in order to maintain confidentiality, the resident filing the complaint will not be provided with specific information as to the outcome of the hearing.

In fairness to all involved, the compliance process can take time and will always involve the utmost confidentiality. Just as the non-compliant homeowner will never be informed of the source of the complaint, so will the source never be informed of specific disciplinary actions imposed by the Board on the reported offender.

If you have further questions about this process or any other Association process, please feel free to contact me at 824-7831 or [email protected]. Thank you for making Woodbridge the BEST community around!

Happy Valentine's DaySee WOA page 5

WOA Executive Director Update Non-Compliance/Complaint Process

By Kayo Armstrong

gmail.com.2014 Resident Directory

Due to some unforeseen data challenges associated with the introduction of the new Woodbridge website and the combining of data bases, distribution of the 2014 printed Resident Directory will be delayed until the end of February 2014. The WOA team apologizes for this delay and inconvenience.

Openings on Policy & Procedures Committee

The Policy & Procedures Committee (P&PC) currently has openings for members, and all residents are invited to apply. The P&PC is a vital board-appointed committee that makes recommendations on numerous policies and rules throughout the community. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of Woodbridge! Applications are available on the portal and at the front desk. Unlicensed Contactors Working

in the CommunityAll WOA-employed contractors meet the proper licensing and insurance requirements to be employed by the Association. However, the WOA is not responsible for any contractors individual homeowners may hire for work at their homes. To protect you and your assets, please REQUIRE that any contractors doing work at your home provide you with current licensing and insurance information to your satisfaction.

Golf Cart AccessPlease remember, golf carts may not be driven on sidewalks or in parks, including the north linear park. The only carts allowed in these areas are emergency or maintenance vehicles. Also, please do not drive your golf cart outside of the community unless it is


Resident Directors' Report By Roger Cunning and Garry Dudley

We welcome February as excited as ever about

the future of our Woodbridge Owners Association. Our most recent Woodbridge Express session revealed a continued interest by our residents in our recent assessment increase as well as an appeal for us to continually challenge our expenses. One resident offered more than just a solution to one of our constant expense challenges – our entry fountains. He provided indefensible justification for immediate action that will ultimately save a significant amount of our funds. He asked why we continue to operate our fountains during our ever-worsening drought conditions. The following day, after consulting with our water facility personnel, our Executive Director directed that the entry fountains be turned off with the exception of the filtration pumps. Thank you for your insight that the rest of us seemed to have overlooked, and thanks for a swift staff decision.

One might wonder where we are going with this example. Well, we do not believe, as your Resident Directors, that we were elected to personally solve each and every problem which arises in operating our association and sustaining our wonderful lifestyle here at Woodbridge. We are here to facilitate that process and to seek consensus from your

many inputs to come to a workable solution. We need each and every one of you and your thoughts. Regarding the fountains, we have been struggling with both sides of the issue about whether to stop their operation or not. Many residents argue for the aesthetics of the fountains and think the cost is worth it; others argue that the expenses are prohibitive. Then along comes one, without emotion, who offers an objective justification for action. We believe the action taken as a result of this resident’s insight will demonstrate to the rest of Manteca the thoughtful leadership of the Woodbridge community during this drought.

A main objective and emphasis during the next 12 to 18 months is to ensure we have a solid business-oriented organization. Time

has a way of creeping up on all of us, sometimes sooner than we think. Our developer will eventually be gone and we will be operating a $2M+ “resident-owned-and-run” business. In order for that to effectively take place, a solid infrastructure must be in place with the majority of the work being in the hands of volunteers –our residents. Therefore, we encourage and implore your participation in our many meetings, committee gatherings and governance activities. We have all experienced lengthy and successful careers and we possess significant expertise as a result. Share that expertise with your neighbors in supporting our association but, more importantly, share it to sustain and improve our lifestyle.

street-legal and registered with the DMV.

Charity Donation in the Clubhouse Club Room

In the spirit of giving to our community beyond the walls of Woodbridge, several donation “bins” are available in the Club Room. These bins are for specific charities with specific needs and are approved by the WOA staff. Please respect your neighbors and those in need by NOT taking items from these bins unless you are authorized to do so.

January Listening Post NotesThank you to those residents who participated in January’s Listening Post. The notes from this meeting are now posted on the portal. Please mark your calendar to attend a future Listening Post, held the third Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. The Listening Post is your opportunity to ask questions about, dispel rumors or provide suggestions on any topic regarding the WOA.Pulte Customer Service IssuesAs a reminder, any issues or requests regarding your home should be directed to Pulte’s Customer Service team. Neither Riverside Management nor the WOA is authorized to answer questions or provide information regarding the homes at Woodbridge. Please use one of the following THREE ways to submit a service request:• Submit a request via

the Internet to www.delwebb.com. Click on the “Owner’s Entry” link, choose “Submit Service Request” and provide the requested information. This is the preferred method of submitting a request

From WOA page 4 that will provide the timeliest response.

• Submit a request in writing to: Del Webb Homes, Attn: Customer Service Department, 6210 Stoneridge Mall Rd., Suite 100, Pleasanton, CA 94588.

• Obtain and submit a service request at the Woodbridge Sales Pavilion. The sales team will then forward your request to the appropriate Warranty Agent to address.

For issues of an emergency nature that affect the livability of your home, call 1-800-785-8346 and leave a voice mail message. A Warranty Agent will contact you according to the urgency of your need or in the order your message was received. For after-hour emergencies, call 1-800-785-8346 and follow the prompts to reach a live person.Stay Involved in Your CommunityJust a reminder, all committee and regular board meetings are open to all residents. Attending these meetings is a great way to be involved in your community, make your voice heard and stay current on decisions that affect Woodbridge.

February Dates to RememberMonday, February 10

– Policy & Procedures, 2 p.m.Thursday, February 13

- Property & Grounds, 3 p.m.Wednesday, February 19

– Listening Post, 3 p.m.Thursday, February 20

– Finance Committee, 2 p.m.Wednesday, February 26

– Board of Directors, 3 p.m.Thursday, February 27 – New Resident Orientation, 9 a.m.

Together … A Community!

WBL photo by Robert Philis.Woodbridge Owners Association Resident Directors Garry Dudley and Roger Cunning encourage and implore

your participation in the many meetings, committee gatherings and governance activities of the WOA.


Karla Hoyer

FITNESS30 x 5 = 60%

By Paul E. Serpa, Senior Fitness Specialist

What if I told you that by choosing four out of five

healthy lifestyle choices, you will reduce your risk of dementia by 60 percent and will help reduce your chances of diabetes, heart disease and stroke by 70 percent?

According to a BBC report, the five lifestyle choices are:

1. Exercising regularly2. Not smoking3. Maintaining a low body weight4. Eating a healthy diet5. Not drinking much alcohol

According to a 35-year study of 2,235 men in the British Isles who participated in four of these five lifestyle choices, exercise was proven to be the single biggest factor in reducing your risk of dementia and other diseases. The

research found that 30 minutes of exercise five times per week (30 x 5), even something as simple as walking, made a dramatic impact.

According to the lead researcher, “Healthy behaviors have a far more beneficial effect than any medical treatment or preventative procedure.”

The Alzheimer’s Society believes that what is good for the heart is good for the head. Even those already suffering from dementia can improve their quality of life by partaking in exercise – seeing improvement in cognitive functions and in helping to care for themselves longer.

Pick your four healthy lifestyle choices, as the other four came in a close second, but make sure that exercise (30 x 5) is at the top of YOUR list. �

HEALTH & WELLNESSCardiopulmonary resuscitation

By Carol Jo Hargreaves

An emergency can occur anytime, anywhere. Will you be ready?Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps increase the rate of

survival from cardiac arrest. Four to six minutes is the window of opportunity for someone to act before it could be too late.FREE CPR classes will be given at Woodbridge every other month,

starting in March. Woodbridge resident Denise Drewry, RN, will teach CPR classes from 9 a.m. to noon on the following Saturdays in 2014: March 8, May 10, July 12, September 13 and November 8.Class size is limited to six students. Floor mats will be provided. Sign up at the front desk. Learn life-saving CPR. You can do it!

WBL photo by Deb Ristau.Denise Drewry offers free CPR classes every other month. Next class is Saturday, March 8.

KARLA HOYERBy Deb Ristau

We've enjoyed the unique wit and wisdom of Karla

Hoyer with her monthly contributions to Woodbridge LIFE. From her energetic approach to sports with a fashionable flair to her ongoing endeavors to keep us up to date regarding local eateries, Karla offered a fresh look at many subjects throughout the past years.

Karla is taking a step back from Woodbridge LIFE and the communication committee to pursue other interests. She will

be missed by our team and by our readers, too. Karla and Craig are active members of our Woodbridge

community and we will surely see them often at the Lakeview Clubhouse and our many activities.

Someday, we hope Karla will agree to let us share HER story on these pages. Karla is living proof that most of us can accomplish anything if we truly put our minds and bodies to work.

Thank you Karla from all of us at Woodbridge LIFE.

�

www.ourwoodbridge.net Woodbridge LIFE Page 7 • February 2014Page 6 • February 2014 Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net

FINANCEWorking Your Budget to Your Best Advantage

By Pam Phelps

Haven’t most of us heard about someone scoring an

unbelievable deal on something and you asked yourself, “How’d they do that?” If you’re not afraid to be pro-active, you, too, can be on the receiving end of those deals. Allow me to share some examples from my own experiences.

Grocery and retail shopping: Never be afraid of

signing up online for retailers in your area or ones you’re sure to frequent as a consumer. Examples would be to register with well-known food stores and big box retailers. These sites learn to recognize your ‘preferences,’ and before long, the websites offer greater discounts on items you like and will frequently post one or more ‘freebies’ once you click on the “add” button and swipe their card at their store. Some larger retail websites will surprise you with additional discounts through mailings or emails offering a percentage discount on purchases and, in some cases, up to a wonderful $10 off any purchase of $10 or more. Think you’ve got the idea now, right? Be creative and adventurous. Don’t be afraid to search the Internet for places you love to shop, including favorite restaurants.

BudgetingHow many times have you opened

a monthly bill and thought, “That’s too high a charge for this service.” And, my friends, many times it is! Why should you have to pay more than someone else for the very same thing? Out of necessity (and maybe too much time on my hands), I have come up with a strategy you may want to consider.I call my strategy the “velvet

glove” approach. How many times have you been so frustrated with a company that you call the Customer Service Department (I use that term loosely), and can hardly control your temper with the person who answers the phone? Here’s what I’ve learned over time

and through many missteps. You’re

upset but ready to make that call. Take a moment, take a breath and decide to take another tack. Decide to be as pleasant as possible while still calmly but firmly stating exactly what has caused your dissatisfaction.

Ask the agent’s name and use it during the entire conversation (this establishes an invisible bond and will work in your favor). That was the velvet glove portion. Next, while still sounding likable and approachable, tell the agent one of the following as it pertains to your situation: (1) “I’m a senior on a fixed income now, and this

bill is just too high for my present income. Don’t you have a current promotion going or some type of discount available so I don’t have to discontinue my service with you?” (2) “I noticed my monthly bill is getting higher for this service, and I found out that my neighbor (family member, etc.) has the very same service with another provider for a lower price, and, with your help, I won’t have to switch.” (3) “I’ve noticed how much higher my monthly bill is than (so-and-so), and now I’m getting offers from all of your competitors. Their new customer promotion sounds just too good to pass up. Can you provide my present service at that price or one very close to it, please?”Believe me, my neighbors, this

works! I’m living proof. This strategy has helped me with phone service, Internet service providers and cable/satellite television providers. I’ve also employed this approach with my satellite radio subscription, and it’s worked for the past five years! And, soon, I’m going to take a ‘driver safety’ course offered by AARP (offered in a classroom or online format) because some insurance companies will offer up to a five percent discount on your auto insurance when you show them proof that you have completed the course…bonus! So now, go forth and conquer your budget woes by standing tall and taking charge of your income and how it’s spent. Good luck, my budgeting gladiators!

�

Pam Phelps

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BRIDGEBy Don St. Lawrence

The Bridge Group meets Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Club Room.

Bridge ScoresDECEMBER 30: Phil McCallion 5410Don Harris 5070Grace Pasion 4690Lee Stern 3740Nancy Hansen 3640Phyllis Tindell 3510Kathy Comden 3240Don St. Lawrence 2910Ted Rupert 2280Letha Watson 2230

JANUARY 6:Don Harris 5000Lee Stern 3870Don St. Lawrence 3270Phil McCallion 2050Reneé St. Lawrence 2050

JANUARY 13:Don Harris 5220Kathy Comden 4910

Clubhouse Arts & MoreLee Stern 4170Don St. Lawrence 3650Phil McCallion 3620Phyllis Tindell 3370Sharyl Burgeson 2510Nancy Compton 1410

JANUARY 20:Letha Watson 4840Phil McCallion 4650Lee Stern 4270Kathy Comden 3890Carolee Jones 3870Dave Lopes 3560Grace Pasion 3320Don Harris 2850Nancy Hansen 2610Robi Cornelius 2530Shirley Lopes 2490Don St. Lawrence 1560

JANUARY 27:Phyllis Tindell 4640Kathy Comden 4170Judy McNamara 4160Phil McCallion 4040Donna Desselle 3560Letha Watson 3540Don St. Lawrence 3450Carolee Jones 3410Robi Cornelius 3390Grace Pasion 3360Lee Stern 2420Nancy Compton 2310Don Harris 2300

UKULELE LOVE SONGSBy Carol Jo Hargreaves

The Woodbridge Lifestyle Committee will host the

Strummin’ Wonders Ukuleles of Woodbridge as they present a Valentine’s “Love Song Sing-Along” in the Lakeview Clubhouse Multipurpose Room, Tuesday, February 11, at 6:30 p.m.There is no fee to attend this

evening of funny and serious love songs but please be sure to sign up at the front desk. All who attend are invited to bring goodies to share at the conclusion of the entertainment.

LADIES LUNCHEONBy Carol Jo Hargreaves

The monthly Ladies’ Luncheon will be held Wednesday,

February 12, at noon at Bud’s Seafood Grille, 314 Lincoln Center, in Stockton. Menu choices include shrimp Louie, Bud’s marinated beef tenderloin and grilled marinated chicken breast. All meals are served with fresh vegetables, seasoned rice, coffee and/or tea. The price is $18 per person. (Cash only - no credit cards or checks accepted.)Family owned and operated since

1993, Bud’s serves "simple and fresh." Bud’s has been voted "Best Seafood Restaurant" in San Joaquin County every year since 1994.To reserve your spot at the

luncheon, call Jacque Reynolds at 629-8508 or Jacqueline Andrews at 823-9241.

DRAMABy Deb Ristau

Turn to page 11 for Anne Madrid's Drama Club article featuring Dona Eberhardt. The Drama Group is meeting

again and plans are underway for a spring production. The group meets each Thursday from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Lakeview Clubhouse.

W.O.WBy Deb Ristau

Turn to page 10 for Linda's article about the Women of Woodbridge Speaker Series and guest speakers, Woodbridge residents Juanita and Terry Hall. This amazing couple completed a 500-mile trek on the Camino Santiago in Spain. Please RSVP at the front desk for

this presentation and call to cancel if you cannot attend.WOW elected new officers and

Birdie Nieri fills in the details with an article on page 10.The Women of Woodbridge group

meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room at the Lakeview Clubhouse.

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BOOK NOOKBy Marie Evans

The Woodbridge Book Club held its first meeting of 2014

on Wednesday, January 8, and an interesting meeting it was, although we had a smaller group than usual. Fittingly, our newest member and so far only male, Phil Bookman made the year’s first presentation. His book choice was CHINA MEN by Maxine Hong Kingston, a Stockton native. It is always interesting to read books that bring a new perspective to everyday living and this book does just that.Ms. Kingston writes about the

difficulties Chinese men and their families experienced migrating to the "Gold Mountain" (in general, the USA, in particular, California) during the Gold Rush and the years of building the railroad which would unite our country in a way it had never been before. While every migrating group has its problems, the United States seemed particularly unwelcoming to Chinese newcomers and our group had an interesting discussion about that. CHINA MEN was a very

interesting, if sometimes challenging, read. We all agreed the book was confusing at times and that myth was woven into reality. Nearly everyone enjoyed this book and most of us commented on Ms. Kingston's beautiful use of language to weave a sense of place and human experience. A couple of examples that were given are "...he yearned for the fields with their quiet surprises..." and "...old men laugh with tears in their eyes..."Some discussion centered around

the forceful way MaMa had of 'motivating' BaBa to literally get up and go back to work. We also discussed the intergenerational family issues between the new-country Chinese and the old-country Chinese. Four of us voted with an average score of 4.1 out of a possible 5.

Our next meeting will return to our normal date of the first Wednesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. Helen Navarro will present February’s selection, BIG STONE GAP, by Adriana Trigiani.

ARTISTS & CRAFTERSBy Penny Dauler

February may have few days on the calendar but arts and crafts

have filled many of them.Check out February’s calendar.

There should be something for everyone. If you don’t see something to get your creative juices going, let us know – maybe we can add it.Every Monday night, 5-9 p.m., is

open painting.Every Tuesday morning, beginning

at 10 a.m., painting classes with Carol. Every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,

the paper crafters meet. Every Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon,

the knitters and crocheters are making magical things with yarn.Monday, February 3, a valentine

craft will be taught at 10 a.m.Friday, February 7, our general

meeting will be held at 10 a.m.Monday, February 10, Margo will be

teaching another one of her painting classes at 10 a.m.Friday, February 14, at 10 a.m.,

Kathy will have us zentangling. The quilters meet at noon. Happy Valentine’s Day!Monday, February 17, at 10 a.m. is

the breast cancer pillow workshop. Friday, February 21, at 10 a.m.,

Bonnie will introduce us to another type of mixed media. Monday, February 24, 10 a.m. to

5 p.m. will be UFO. A word about UFOs, please. This stands for “unfinished objects.” You know, the objects in your closet just waiting for you to have the time to finish them. Well, the time is now. We have the room all day so bring your projects and your lunch and plan to spend the day with us.

We round out the month on Friday, Friday 28, at 10 a.m. with arts and crafts and the quilters will gather at 12:30 p.m.

Check out the yellow communication board in the Arts

and Crafts Room for calendars and class sign-up sheets.The display window is also a good

place to see examples of the crafts we will be making in upcoming classes.Here is a sneak peek at what is

coming up: a field trip to the Decor Store in Livermore and Christmas in July!Stop by the Arts and Crafts Room.

We love to see old and new friends.

IT'S TEA TIMEBy Carol Jo Hargreaves

Women of Woodbridge will hold its popular annual tea two

times this year. Event Chair Birdie Nieri selected an “Americana” theme for the event. You are invited to attend either day, Saturday, February 15 or Sunday, February 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Lakeview Clubhouse. Each day will be different, including catered menu and guest speaker and will be limited to 120 seats (20 tables of six, including the hostess). Tea goers are invited to wear hats, gloves and pearls, if desired.According to Birdie, the

“Americana” theme will be portrayed on a table prepared by each of the 32 hostesses. Childhood memories, good times, family outings, favorite books they’ve read, and places they've seen and been will all be depicted in cheerful, dramatic and personalized tablescapes. In addition, the room will be adorned with items from the past. The scene is sure to please everyone. Two groups, Men of Woodbridge

and Veterans, will serve the tables. The ladies work very hard on this event and it takes many hands and many hours to prepare for this event. As one of the hostesses said, "It takes a village" to get this event to be as good as it can be. Planning for 2014 began as soon as

the 2013 tea was over. Hostesses gathered in October for open

discussion. Some hostesses are seasoned contributors and others are new, with fresh ideas and energy. Birdie enthusiastically praised the hostesses, saying, “These ladies do a wonderful job and I'm sure everyone who attends the tea will shower them with gratitude on a job well done.”Saturday’s tea will be catered by

Manteca Unified School District Culinary Academy students and feature guest speaker Penny Warner, author and newspaper columnist. Penny writes a column for her local newspaper on family life in the Amador Valley area. She creates fundraising murder mystery events for libraries across the country and teaches child development at Diablo Valley College.Sunday’s tea will also be catered by

Manteca School District Culinary Academy and feature author Lisa Sanchez. Lisa is a busy stay-at-home and self-proclaimed "cheer mom" who wears a number of different hats yet still manages to keep everything together while caring for her husband and three children. Lisa and her family currently reside in Tracy, California. Lisa's lifelong love of writing coupled with her ability to weave together an intricate and compelling story has led to the release of her new adult paranormal romance trilogy, the Hanaford Park series which includes Eve of Samhain, Pleasures Untold and Faythe Reclaimed. She has just signed a three-book deal with Swoon Romance to publish her new Young Adult (YA) Contemporary series featuring a set of Level 5 All Star Cheerleaders.A raffle and door prize will be held

during each day’s tea. Proceeds from the tea will benefit homeless children in the Manteca Unified School District.Tickets are $25 per person and

may still be available at the front desk. Tickets are at a premium and go quickly, so purchase yours soon! (No refunds permitted.).

&


By Birdie Nieri

A new slate of officers was inducted into Women of Woodbridge

last month. The regular meeting, held each third Wednesday of the month, was conducted and a luncheon of salads and desserts was served, adding to the festivities of the day. Longtime founder and president, Marybeth Saari, received well wishes and applause for her five years of leadership. She was the driving force who created the club and its many charitable events that help the children of Manteca, as well as adopting its mission statement that is in force today. Also leaving after a five-year term as vice president is Jean Benner. This dynamic pair of women has done a wonderful service for our community of women. They will continue to be a strong voice for our club.The new slate of officers includes:Birdie Nieri, president Connie Reed, vice presidentSue Edmiston, treasurer Karen Penzenstadler, secretary

WINE 101By Jon Ford

Our January Wine 101 class focused around the theme of Sauvignon Blanc. We

were able to sample many California sauvignon blancs in a variety of styles as well as some Chilean and Australian styles. As usual, the appetizers our classmates brought were just wonderful. We had 85 in attendance at our last meeting and we were delighted to have eight new attendees this time. The theme for February

is "A Port in Any Storm.” The focus for food pairing is chocolate and/or veined cheeses. In this class, we will be focusing on the history of port and the many styles available. Wine 101 is open to any resident

of Del Webb Woodbridge and no knowledge of wine is necessary because the class is designed to have you leave with new knowledge

Photo courtesy of Terry and Jaunita Hall.Terry and Juanita Hall of Woodbridge.

The group will continue with its Signature Events in 2014 as we create and continue with our tradition of outstanding events such as the Take a Sip for Scholarship in May, Oktoberfest in October and our Ladies’ Tea in February. Come join our group and experience the fulfillment we feel as we enrich the lives of children in our area.

each time you attend. People in attendance have a varied range of wine knowledge. The February class is Wednesday,

February 12, from 6 until 8:30 p.m. Sign-ups are at the

registration/information desk at the Clubhouse. We are limiting the sign-ups to 100 people for each class. We ask that you bring

to this event:• Your own wine glasses (in this case we recommend smaller cordial glasses if you have them).• An appetizer to share with the group

(either a chocolate dessert or a veined cheese).

• Your desire to meet up with new/old neighbors, learn a little more about port wines and have a wonderful time socializing.

If you have any questions, you may call Jon Ford at 815-9803.

Residents share Camino Santiago trek experience

WOMEN OF WOODBRIDGE By Linda Little

“Do you want to take a walk?” your friend asks. “Sure” is your response. “By the way,” your friend adds, “the walk is 500 miles long and we have to travel to Spain to complete it.” If you’re Woodbridge residents Juanita and Terry Hall, you accept the challenge.Between last August and October,

the Halls completed the 500-mile trek on the Camino Santiago. On March 27 at 2 p.m., they will share their experiences preparing for and participating in the trek. Their presentation is part of the bi-monthly Women of Woodbridge Speaker Series held in the Lakeview Clubhouse.The Camino Santiago, partially

documented Hollywood style in The Way starring Martin Sheen, covers a 500-mile trail through mostly northern Spain. The journey dates back to medieval times when the

pilgrimage was traditionally known as “The Way of St. James.” Legend has it that the remains of St. John were carried by boat to northern Spain and buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. Both walkers and bikers make the

pilgrimage and can opt to cover the full 500 miles or a shorter distance. To qualify for a compostela (certificate of completion), walkers must travel at least 100 km and bikers 200 km. The popularity of the Camino Santiago trek has grown from 1985 when 690 completed the walk to 2012 when 192,488 received their compostela.Please RSVP at the front desk

for this presentation. As always, there is no fee. However, a count is needed for set-up and preparation of materials. Call to cancel if you cannot attend. WOW ELECTS OFFICERS

WBL photo by Robert Philis.Birdie Nieri (left) is the newly elected president

of the Women of Woodbridge. She will succeed WOW founder Marybeth Saari (right) who led the group for the past five years.

www.ourwoodbridge.net Woodbridge LIFE Page 11 • February 2014Page 10 • February 2014 Woodbridge LIFE www.ourwoodbridge.net

Dona Eberhardt is loving life again

WBL photo by Dave Ristau.Dona Eberhardt plays an Episcopalian rector in the Christmas play "Frank's 75th Christmas" starring Roger

Goodnow (right).

DRAMABy Anne Madrid

W hat a character (actress, that is)! Dona Eberhardt has been a part of Woodbridge’s Drama Club for three

seasons now and she admits to being someone who speaks her mind and loves life.

“I thought I wouldn’t have a life after Bill, my husband of 52 years, passed in October of 2011,” says Dona. “I DO have a life now and drama has done that for me.”

Dona’s dramatic roles have ranged from playing a put upon wife of an alcoholic husband in the comedy “Doctor, Doctor” to an Episcopalian rector in the Christmas play “Frank’s 75th Christmas.”

Years ago, after WWII, Dona found what has become her passion in life, protection dogs. GI Joe, a German shepherd and former war dog, followed Dona and her sister home from school when they lived in San Francisco. This became a pattern until one day the dog’s owner gave GI Joe to Dona’s family. “I knew then that dogs would always be a part of my life,” says Dona.

Dona majored in business and worked for several years as the assistant director to the night dean at Diablo Valley College in Concord. About that time, the East Bay Rapist was terrorizing the area and Dona became involved with protection dogs and trained for six years with the San Francisco Canine Unit.

line pulley” long leashes. Dona had to break up an attack of a large dog on a puppy in our neighborhood when the large dog on a long leash started tearing the puppy apart. “I know the puppy would have been killed,” says Dona. “And I did get bitten breaking them apart. An owner has no control with those leashes.”

Her other concern is with tying up a dog for any reason. “The dog needs an escape route and may bite when it feels trapped,” she says. In fact, when Dona lived in Concord, she was instrumental in getting a law passed which outlaws tying up a dog.

“I’m in a new life now,” says Dona. “I love my home and my friends and acting is my new family.”

Dona was quick to respond when asked about her favorite line spoken in a Woodbridge play. She played Candide in a take-off from Voltaire’s 18th century character. Candide wandered our neighborhood with her horse Charlie looking for perfection. Dona’s favorite line says it all.

“Del Webb IS the best of all possible worlds!”

�

WBL photo by Deb Ristau.Dona Eberhardt is loving her life at Woodbridge,

training dogs and being involved with the Wood-bridge Drama Club.

Dona was secretary of the BAD (Bay Area Dog) club and worked closely with the SF Canine Unit in their competitions and trainings. She was often the “bad guy” and the victim of the dogs’ attacks. “I have been bitten so many times. It was just part of the job,” says Dona.

Dona continues her love of large dogs and her constant companion now is Sara, a black Labrador retriever-Great Dane mix. Being a retired dog trainer, Dona believes “Most dogs are not vicious.”

She has two concerns she would like to share with the dog owners here in Woodbridge. One is with the “clothes


Why do you volunteer? It was a simple question, but Ann King responded with an

insightful answer: “My life has been blessed from the beginning with my 10 brothers and sisters and then by my three wonderful sons and their families. I am blessed by the fact I am healthy and don’t NEED to have a paid job. Thus, I am able to give back time, energy and treasure to my community, my church and my city. As the movie “Pay it Forward” (2000) says, ‘I am paying forward.’” Because her husband of 40 years

passed away in early 2008, Ann felt the need to downsize. A friend told her about Del Webb in Elk Grove, but she was not attracted. She saw Woodbridge by Del Webb on the Internet and moved in to a Harpswell model on Halloween, 2008. She immediately immersed herself in cards and games in the Clubhouse, playing pinochle, cribbage, hand and foot and others.At the suggestion of Neighborhood

Watch Commander Bob Hall, Ann became a block captain three months after her arrival. Her block has increased from six to 22 homes and Ann is interested in

relinquishing the duty because she no longer has the time to be actively involved. “Block captains need to get information on new residents, organize block parties, update data and get the residents to become more involved,” she said.Ann was also working full time in

Stockton but had to retire due to budget cuts. Seeing she had more free time, Bob Hall again encouraged her to become more involved in Neighborhood Watch (NW). Ann patrolled Woodbridge streets once a week, a job she performed for four years. “Patrolling is not a dangerous job. In fact, it’s sort of fun. I’ve had instances where I’ve rung a doorbell after 9:30 p.m. and have heard the lady inside yell, ‘George! Did you leave the garage door open again?’” she laughed. “Most of the job is routine but very nice because you get to see all of the new homes being built, front yard landscaping and holiday decorations. You definitely learn street names,” she continued. Ann has also been NW treasurer for three years and enjoys her involvement.Ann saw an opening for the

Architectural Review Committee

Ann King can't say NO By Sharyl Burgeson

in 2012, applied and was accepted. She credits Kayo Armstrong for knowing of her dedication and commitment to detail. “We meet every other week for one to two hours. Everything is presented at the meeting, but we have to KNOW the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Woodbridge (CCRs),” she stated. The committee also includes Mike Wallick, Pulte construction manager at Woodbridge, and Butch Larson, resident.If it’s 4:30 a.m. and a holiday

that requires the appearance of American flags, Ann is already at the Clubhouse parking lot ready to leave for downtown and pick up flags for Flags over Manteca. Ann is one of approximately 20 Woodbridge residents who participates in this often chilly and always before dawn event. Event volunteers are also responsible for late afternoon removal of the flags.Ann was one of several friends who

didn’t feel it was appropriate for a recent widow to pay the hourly Clubhouse rental fee to hold a memorial service. The friends attended a Policy and Procedures Committee meeting, explained their reasoning and the committee agreed, approving a policy change regarding memorials. Now, only insurance has to be paid.

Ann’s Manteca InvolvementAnn has worked a weekly one

to four p.m. front desk shift at St. Vincent de Paul for over four years. She monitors check-ins and distributes food and clothing to the needy. Because clients can only receive donations every 30 days, she feels it is “sometimes devastating to have to turn people away.” Ann was asked to be the group’s secretary last year and writes minutes of the monthly meetings and thank you notes for monetary and other major donations. Sharon Bayer recruited Ann to

volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank. “I worked there for two years doing everything I was asked to do. It was a good experience and I put in over 200 hours, but due to time constraints, I had to stop my involvement,” she said.Two years ago, Ann read of a need

for volunteers at the Manteca Pregnancy Help Center (MPHC) in the St. Anthony of Padua Sunday bulletin. She applied and was accepted as a data entry clerk. Within six months, she became the bookkeeper and still prepares bank deposits, bank reconciliations, monthly profit-loss statements for board of director meetings and trains new volunteers in data entry. This is a weekly job and usually involves two or three hours over several days.The MPHC recently celebrated

its 25th year of serving the poor of Manteca. “The file cabinets are jam-packed with 25 years of files. Since files need to be kept ten years, according to the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (the legal organization for pregnancy help centers), my current project is to clear and shred older files,” Ann declared.You won’t see much of Ann in

early spring (February through April) as she lives with her oldest son three nights a week and works at his office Thursday, Friday and Saturday before returning home to Woodbridge Saturday evening. This office is the bookkeeping and tax preparation business Ann and her husband started in 1980.“I get to see a lot of my little

grandson and spend quality time with my son during the daily commute from Union City to the office in Redwood City. Also, I am appreciated for doing what I call the ‘grunt work’ – anything not done that needs doing,” she said.

Ann-isms• My name is short and sweet.

And I am neither of these.• We used to be called

housewives. Now we are called domestic engineers.

• I was a secretary, not an administrative or executive assistant.

PersonalAnn has three married sons and

four grandchildren who all live relatively close by. She is very happy at Woodbridge. “Actually, I love it. I have made many friends and I would tell anyone to move here,” she concluded. �

Photo courtesy of Ann King.During a 2012 visit with her younger sister and family in Beaverton, OR, Ann King revisited

the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon convent. Ann's five aunts entered the convent in the '20s and '30s where they lived their entire lives.

www.ourwoodbridge.net Woodbridge LIFE Page 13 • February 2014

GOLFBy Charles Gary

Fore! Woodbridge golf lovers have joined together to

form the Woodbridge Senior Golf Group (WSGG). Under the leadership of Rudy Salvador, chairperson, Chuck Gary, vice-chair, Dick Turner, treasurer and Albert Low, grouping and scoring, the executive committee has organized and established an outing schedule that begins in late March.

Woodbridge on the Tee

WBL photo by Robert Philis.Barry Carter, Tom Heath, Bernie Jenson and Jack Dauler enjoy getting out on the golf

course with Woodbridge friends.

Wolverines on the Field By Butch Larson

Who would have expected to see Wolverines in Manteca in January?

But it’s true. Wolverines do not hibernate in the winter and are well adapted for winter existence. They mostly populate the snow-covered mountains and fields of Alaska and Canada. However, it is believed that fewer than 300 exist in the lower 48 states. Wolverines are highly effective scavengers with a keen sense of smell, strong teeth and legendary ability to travel year-round through extreme environment. The wolverine mating season is believed to be from late spring through late summer.Woodbridge ALERT: On

Monday, January 6, eleven Wolverine creatures were spotted running around Del Webb Field.Even though our Silver Slugger

and Diamond Gal seasons are not underway, our tournament team, the Wolverines, is already at it. The first practice games of 2014 were recently held against the Modesto Senior Men’s team at Del Webb Field. Just a day after the San Francisco 49ers defeated

the Packers on the famed tundra of Lambeau Field, our boys tussled with the Modesto team on our own tundra. Though Wolverines don’t usually hibernate, our boys found out they needed to scrape off a little winter rust in their first game, losing to Modesto in a seven inning game by a score of 15-2. The second game of the doubleheader saw the Wolverines wake from their slumber and battle Modesto to a much closer loss of 14-11. Future games with Modesto are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of each month. I predict we will see our Wolverines sharpen their play and produce several victories during the year. This pack of Wolverines included:

Bob Perrin, Dennis Atwell, Bernie Jenson, Gary Fiorio, Bob Naquin, Jerry Monares, John Bauer, Tom Mello, Dan Snyder, Wayne Gordon and Glen Jenkins. Thanks also go to our umpires: Roland Roelling, Ed Shoup, Jim Shrimp and Vern Mendes, as well as our score booth crew, Mr. and Mrs. Gibson - Caroline on the microphone and Perry on the “electric keyboard.” The Wolverines are made up of

Woodbridge residents who wish to play for a tournament level

team. They compete throughout the year against other senior teams in the Central Valley, usually at weekend tournaments. They also hold practices during the year against senior teams from Modesto and Lodi. If you are interested in playing for the Wolverines, call team Manager, Bob Perrin, at 815-9629. These players are also committed to playing in the Silver Sluggers during their season (April-October). Please check the Woodbridge portal calendar for dates of practices and tournament games throughout the year as weather and other events can affect the schedule (particularly from late spring to late summer).

Currently, there are 54 members signed up and excited about this new group. There are eight outings planned that include: Swenson Park G.C., Stevinson Ranch G. C., Micke Grove G.C. and five other courses. One may sign up for the competitive division or the non-competitive division. The competitive division plays the ball as it lies while the non-competitive play as their group agrees. There are 27 in each group at this time. The WSGG is still taking sign-ups.

The initiation fee is $40. We especially encourage women golfers of Woodbridge to participate. Need more details? Contact Rudy Salvador at 629-8060 or any of the executive committee members. Phone numbers are in the Woodbridge directory and on the portal.

Woodbridge

Replacement Flags Available

Flags $20 6’ Poles $10

Call Mel Reynolds

624-3768

Veterans of Woodbridge


Sign-up for SoftballBy Butch Larson

February is the month for Woodbridge men and women interested

in playing softball to sign up for another exciting season of Silver Sluggers (men), Diamond Gals (women) and Wolverines (tournament team). It is also the time for volunteers to get signed up to help support the program in umpiring, field maintenance, the score booth and in the Snack Bar. Sign-up papers for players will

be available at the front desk of the Clubhouse between Sunday, February 2, and Friday, February 28. Male players signing up will be drafted onto a team at our player draft to be held Wednesday, March 5. Ladies will gather in March to select their teams. Papers for volunteers will also be available at the front desk during this time and extending throughout the season. Players of any skill level are

welcome to sign up and participate in our softball program. We strive

to make the game accessible for all men and women who desire to play. Last season we had five men’s teams and four ladies’ squads. We anticipate at least the same number this year with the possibility that new residents moving in since last season and signing up could allow us to expand the number of teams. Coaches and squad leaders are already into the planning stages of the 2014 season. At the conclusion of the Men’s

Draft on March 5, coaches will contact each player to welcome them to their new team. The balance of the month will be spent with practice games. We will begin the “official” season with Opening Day on Saturday, April 5. The first half of our season will run from April through June. We will take the month of July off then hold the second half from August through October. Our annual dinner and general meeting will conclude the season on Saturday, November 1. Silver Slugger men’s coaches for

the season will be: Tom Heath,

Jon Ford, Jerry Monares, Craig Hoyer, Sandy Davison, Bob Penzenstadler, Bob Perrin, Will Weintz, Butch Larson and Bill Norcup. Diamond Gal squad leaders will be:

Trudy Snyder, Harleene Bebout, Karen Mower and Barbara Shapiro. Wolverines’ coaches will be Bob

Perrin, Rudy Salvador and Jerry Monares.

FIELD MAINTENANCE PROGRESSOur Field Maintenance Committee

has been very active with plans to get the field in tip-top shape for the players. We have been working with the Property and Grounds Committee as well as landscape maintenance personnel to improve Del Webb Field conditions for both player safety and fan comfort. This includes looking into new ground cover (dirt) for the field, taking out the grass along the base lines and repairing the sun screens that cover our dugouts and bleachers. We are also looking into a “wind

shield” and some space heaters for our score booth to help with the cool temperatures and north winds we get in the early season. Future thoughts include improving our picnic area around the Snack Bar to allow for more tables and smoother access to the bleachers.

IMPORTANT DATESPlease keep these dates in mind

(and on your calendar):

Player Sign-ups (Women and Men): 2/2 - 2/28 (resident players and volunteers)

Coaches' Meetings (5 p.m.): 2/11, 3/4, 4/1 (all residents welcome)

Council Meetings (6:30 p.m.): 2/11, 3/4, 4/1 (all residents welcome)

WSSC General Meeting (7 p.m.): 3/13 (all residents welcome)

Opening Day Ceremony and Games: 4/5 (all residents welcome)

I look forward to seeing you at Del Webb Field. If you have any questions, please contact

one of our WSSC Board members or me, Butch Larson, WSSC President (824-2062 or [email protected]).


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ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW• Mike Wallick, Chair

[email protected]

FINANCE• Christine Carlson, Chair

[email protected]

LIFESTYLE• Dodie Miller, Chair

[email protected]

POLICY & PROCEDURES• Norm Hauser, Chair

[email protected]

• Alice Corriea, [email protected]

823-9583

PROPERTY & GROUNDS• Mike Spence, Chair

[email protected]

COMMUNICATION• Kayo Armstrong, Chair

[email protected]

• Deb Ristau, WBL [email protected]

825-8095

• Carol Jo Hargreaves, Directory Chair

[email protected]

WELCOMING COMMITTEE• Cheryl Juarez, Co-Chair

[email protected]

• Sue Vernali, [email protected]

923-4899

Reaching OutLakeview Clubhouse: 824-7581

Board of DirectorsJohn Johnson, President

Roger Cunning, Vice PresidentChristine Carlson, Treasurer

Garry Dudley, SecretaryCarl Hansen, Director at Large

Resident DirectorsRoger: 647-4380 / Garry: 648-4868

Executive DirectorKayo Armstrong: 824-7831

Activities DirectorDodie Miller: 824-7927

ManagementRiverside Management

PO BOX 697 Roseville, CA 9566

916-740-2462

Woodbridge Owners AssociationBoard-Appointed Committees Coming to Woodbridge

EVENTS and TOURS - February/March 2014By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

Woodbridge LIFE2401 Morning Brook Drive

Manteca, CA 95336209-824-7581

www.ourwoodbridge.netPUBLISHER

WOA 824-7581

EDITORDeb Ristau 765-5058

ADVERTISINGKayo Armstrong 824-7831

WBL EDITORIAL TEAMKayo Armstrong, chair 824-7831Sharyl Burgeson 239-1492Roger Cunning 647-4380Carol Jo Hargreaves 988-5831Dodie Miller 824-7927Volker Moerbitz 239-7965Pepper Noble 239-1933Pam Phelps 408-930-8758Deb Ristau 765-5058Mike Spence 924-8032Woodbridge LIFE is a free monthly

publication of the Woodbridge Owners Association, a nonprofit organization serving the residents of the Woodbridge by Del Webb community in Manteca, CA. Woodbridge LIFE invites stories, photographs, comments, cartoons, jokes and any other information that would be of interest to residents. We reserve the right to accept or refuse submissions and edit for content and length. We also reserve the right to refuse advertising or articles that in our opinion do not reflect the standards of the newspaper. The opinions expressed, whether by paid advertisement or editorial content, do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper or the Woodbridge Owners Association. Content submitted may be edited, reprinted and acknowledged without consent unless specifically requested. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. Materials submitted with a self-addressed, stamped envelope will be returned. Contents copyright © 2014 by Woodbridge Owners Association. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

Contact us:[email protected]

Household HintsBy Bill Barnhart

Smoke & CO2 DetectorsBattery Replacement:The smoke and CO2 detectors in

our homes are powered by 110 volts from our outside circuit breaker panel (usually labeled smoke alarm or something similar) and they have a 9-volt battery for backup when there is a power loss. When there has been no power loss, the batteries may last multiple years; however, I would never trust my family’s safety to that possibility. Pick a particular holiday when you are sure to be home and mark your calendar to change the batteries once a year on that holiday. When you are purchasing a resale home, I recommend always putting in fresh batteries on move-in day as there is no way to tell how old the existing ones may be. I was recently called to a resold home and, after replacing the batteries, still found red lights on all units. I checked the circuit breaker and discovered it had tripped in the past and, without electricity, all of the batteries had drained. Two styles of detectors have been

installed in Woodbridge homes. Some smaller detectors have the battery door on the side with a little lever that, when pressed left, swings the door open. Others have a cover that slides out away from the center of the detector to allow access. Nine-volt batteries have both positive and negative contacts on the same end of the battery. When changing a battery, note the orientation of the battery you just removed and insert the replacement in the same orientation. The picture on page 19 may be used to determine the correct positioning. Note that where the battery contacts are to be inserted, there is an indication of which side is the “+” and which side is the “-.” There is also an outline of a battery showing the correct positioning. It may require a flashlight to see these.Alarm Sounding: When there is a chirp every so often,

it usually indicates one of the batteries is low. Keep in mind all of the detectors talk to each other through electrical wires, and multiple detectors may be chirping to make sure you

get the message. When you hear the chirp, change all of the batteries. If you get green lights, you were successful. Sometimes the sound you hear

is much more than a chirp which most likely signifies something has triggered the detector in one of the units to sound an alarm. It could be a smoky situation in the kitchen, shaking of the almond trees in the fall, pollen in the air in the spring, or just simply an accumulation of dust. The most frequent culprit, however, has been the combination smoke/CO2 detector simply going bad. When you have this type of alarm, you may attempt to use compressed air to clean out the unit but when all else fails, disconnect the unit from the ceiling by turning it counterclockwise until it will drop and then disconnect the wires from the back. If the alarm stops, you’ve found the offending unit.To stop an alarm in the middle of

the night, keep in mind there are two power sources and they talk to each other. The easiest, quickest temporary solution is to identify the offending unit and remove it entirely from the system. Otherwise, you need to remove all of the batteries and switch off the circuit breaker.

See HINTS page 19


REAL ESTATE FORUM BY THE LORI’S – Tuesday, March 18 @ 6:30 p.m. – Tori Verber Salazar, candidate for District Attorney, will be reporting on elder abuse. Also, she will report how grandparents can look for signs of bullying to help their grandchildren. Tori is a very dynamic speaker. Wine and cheese will be provided. Sign up at the front desk.

POTLUCK NIGHT – Tuesday, March 25 @ 5:30 p.m. – We will do a pasta night-- pasta with chicken or beef or shrimp, etc. Bring whatever you want to add to the pasta. Salads, desserts and bread are also needed. Coffee and water provided, but you may bring your beverage of choice.

SPEAKER SERIES – Thursday, March 27 @ 2 p.m. – Juanita and Terry Hall on their 500-mile walk in Camino Santiago, Spain. Sign up at the front desk.

�

UNDERSTANDING HOSPICE - Tuesday, February 4 @ 5:30 p.m. – Presented by Eric Escobedo, RN, director of patient services at Optimal Hospice Care. Dispelling the myths and providing facts about Hospice care. Please sign up at the front desk.

WELLNESS HEALTH FAIR – Wednesday, February 5 @ 9 a.m. – noon – Blood pressure screenings and COPD and Diabetes Risk Assessments. Free gifts and snacks. Flu and pneumonia vaccinations. Enter to win a $25 Rite Aid gift card. Sign up at the front desk.

PRE VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER/DANCE – Saturday, February 8 @ 5:30 p.m. – The menu by the Manteca Unified School District’s culinary group will be stuffed chicken breast with cornbread stuffing, sautéed cheese ravioli, fresh broccoli coleslaw, sautéed green beans, baked rolls with butter and chocolate brownie sundae with salted caramel and whipped topping. Music by DJ Kim Evans. You may bring your beverage of choice. Tickets are $16 per person.

STRUMMIN’ WONDERS “LOVE SONGS SING-ALONG” – Tuesday, February 11 @ 6:30 p.m. – A concert of love songs in preparation for Valentine’s Day. You are invited to bring goodies to share. Sign-ups taken at the front desk.

LADIES’ LUCHEON – Wednesday, February 12 @ noon – Bud’s Seafood Grille – 314 Lincoln Center, Stockton, (209) 956-0270. Call either Jacqueline Andrews @ (209) 629-8508 or Jacque Reynolds @ (209) 823-9241 to sign up. $18 per person. Cash only.

WINE 101 – Wednesday, February 12 @ 6 p.m. – “A Port in Any Storm” – Exploring port wines. The event will be held in the Multipurpose Room and will be a brief lesson about port wines. Bring: A chocolate dessert or a “veined” cheese, a bottle of port (red or white) to share and your own wine glass. Limited to 100, so sign up early at the front desk.

WOODBRIDGE TEA – Saturday and Sunday, February 15 and 16 @ 2 p.m. – The theme is “Americana.” It will be “tea faire” each day. Each tea and program will be different. Two different guest speakers. Tickets are $25 per person.

SECOND CHANCE BAND DANCE – Saturday, February 22 @ 5:30 p.m. – Our own in-house band will be playing our favorite songs to dance the night away. Bring your beverage of choice and snacks. Tickets are $3 per person.

POTLUCK NIGHT – Tuesday, February 25 @ 5:30 p.m. – Bring your favorite tacos, enchiladas, tamales, rice, beans or nachos. Please bring enough to feed 8 to 10 people. Sign-ups are taken at the front desk.

MARDI GRAS PARTY – Saturday, March 1 @ 5 p.m. – We’ll have a decorated golf cart parade around the Clubhouse before going into the Multipurpose Room for food and dance! It will be fun to see all those great masks showing up and, if you like, dress masquerade style. We’ll have DJ Jerry Sauceda, an arranger, composer and performer. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. and dancing at 6 p.m. Tickets are $18 pp.

THORSON FINANCIAL DINNER PRESENTATION – Tuesday, March 4 @ 6 p.m. – No details available at this time. More information to come.

SINGING BLUE STARS OF THE USS HORNET – Tuesday, March 11 @ 6:30 p.m. - This group of ladies specializes in performing songs of the ‘40s and ‘50s. They do an Andrews Sisters and McGuire Sisters show! They performed here last year and received a standing ovation. Croissant sandwiches will be provided along with coffee and water. You may bring your beverage of choice. Tickets will go on sale February 6. $8 per person.

WINE 101 – Wednesday, March 12 @ 6 p.m. – There are no details at this time but will be available after the Wine 101 on February 12.

ST PATRICK’S DAY DINNER – Monday, March 17 @ 5 p.m. – This dinner is sponsored by the Men of Woodbridge group. It will be an authentic corned beef and cabbage dinner. Price to be determined. The tickets will go on sale on Monday, February 10.

Coming to WoodbridgeEVENTS and TOURS - February/March 2014

By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

Refer a friend and we’ll thank you.2,500 times to be exact.

We have just added

OVER TWO THOUSAND

reasons for you to refer your friends

to the fabulous Del Webb lifestyle you have already

discovered. Right now you can receive $2,500

for every person you introduce to us who purchases

a new home in any Del Webb community

in Northern California.

*Residency requirements at Del Webb communities require that at least one resident of household must be 55 years of age or older, and additional restrictions apply. Some residents may be younger than 55. This referral payment offer is valid only on new purchase agreements for homes in the Del Webb community entered above and that are accepted by Del Webb on or after 9/1/11 and close escrow before 12/31/12. In addition to other terms, conditions and limitations established by Del Webb, the buyer may not be represented by a realtor or broker in connection with the purchase of the home, buyer must not have visited the community before the referral and buyer must register the referring party on buyer’s first visit to the community as required by Del Webb. Eligibility for receipt of a referral fee is subject to terms, conditions and limitations that have been established by Del Webb. In order to be eligible to receive a referral fee, both the buyer and referring party will be required to sign a separate document of Conditions, Restrictions and Certifications. If the document is not signed by both parties and delivered to Del Webb as required by Del Webb, and all of the terms, conditions and restrictions are not fulfilled, a referral fee will not be paid. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. This offer is subject to change or withdrawal at any time without notice. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required or if void by law. © 2012 Pulte Home Corporation. All rights reserved. Pulte Home Corporation is a licensed California real estate broker (lic. #00876003).

There has never been a better time for your

friends to explore a new Del Webb community.

You already love your new Del Webb lifestyle, why

not share it with the people you care most about.

GLENBROOKE

THE CLUB

WOODBRIDGE

SIERRA CANYON

See the Woodbridge sales office for details:1451 Americana Street • Manteca, CA 95336 • (209) 239-3099 • www.delwebb.com/woodbridge


921 E. Yosemite Ave • Manteca, CA 95336

Dependable, Friendly Service Since 1985

209-823-1999 www.mantecalighting.com • [email protected]

Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:30pm Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

Fans•Lighting•Landscape Lighting•Recessed & Track Lighting•Lamps & Lamp Shades•Wall Clocks•

Accessories for the Home• Tyler Candles

Tips:• To distinguish between types of

units, combination smoke/CO2 detectors have black lettering/text on their casings. Straight smoke detectors (not combined with a CO2 detector) do not have black lettering/text on them.

• Straight smoke detectors have a capacitor that stores a charge of electricity that retains memory of its being in alarm mode. With the circuit breaker turned off, remove batteries one at a time and press the test button until the sound stops. Then put the batteries back. If there is no sound, then it was already drained. Reset the circuit breaker.

• All units have at least a five year warranty. Look on the back of the unit for the month and year of manufacture. There is also a toll free 800 number on the back to call for in-warranty replacement. If it’s outside the warranty, purchase a new unit from a hardware store or over the Internet. The replacement

From HINTS page 16

must be made by the same manufacturer as the original unit.

• When all else fails, call Neighbors Helping Neighbors and we’ll figure it out for you.

If you would like to see a specific home maintenance topic written about and explained in a future column, please let me know.

Photo courtesy of Bill Barnhart.Periodically change the battery in smoke

and C02 detectors.

We Need YOU!By Kayo Armstrong

The Woodbridge LIFE team takes great pride in the

high quality newspaper we de-liver each month to residents’ homes free of charge. Produc-ing a monthly newspaper of this caliber is a true labor of love by a small group of talent-ed and dedicated residents.

In the more than two years we’ve been creating the paper, we’ve seen volunteers come and go as schedules and life priorities change. Since in-ception of the paper, a small group has remained faithful and these four are still heavily involved today: Deb Ristau, Carol Jo Hargreaves, Sharyl Burgeson and Pepper No-ble. These four, along with many other volunteers, have spent untold hours delivering the paper to you each month. Without our volunteer team, Woodbridge LIFE simply could not be a reality.

The Woodbridge LIFE team would like to express its sin-cere thanks for their dedicat-ed efforts to those who have

recently left the group: Karla Hoyer, Bekke Hess and Robert Philis. We’re not letting Robert go too far away though, as he will still be filling in for cur-rent photographer Volker Moerbitz when available. Thank you to Karla, Bekke and Robert for your com-mitment to the Woodbridge community.

To continue this great publication, we need more volunteers … residents with experience interviewing, writing, editing and produc-tion are all greatly needed.

Please consider volun-teering to help continue the great work of the Wood-bridge LIFE team. Your involvement will be greatly appreciated by your neigh-bors and will be fun and rewarding for you. Contact Kayo Armstrong at 824-7831 or [email protected] for more infor-mation.


Internet icon Betty Dravis: One Grande Dame of Dialogue

Original oil painting by Sally Ann Rowland.An interview with Clint Eastwood left Betty 'half in love with the living legend.'

By Deb Ristau

She could blend into a crowd of happy seniors and easily be

mistaken for a sweet little old lady enjoying her golden years and the anticipation of a new grandchild or great-grandchild.

In fact, she is exactly that, but she is so much more. A closer look

would reveal the devilish delight dancing in her lively eyes. Her lips curve up with an impish grin and her face is radiant in the glow of a happy and contented octogenarian. Now, you might be curious enough to

ask, "What wonderful secrets are hiding behind that cute smile?"Meet Betty

Dravis, a fascinating, captivating, quick-witted lady with a bit of a diabolical mind who thrives on humor and horror and still works hours on end. With a movie deal in the making, the author of 10 books and with hundreds of celebrity interviews to her credit, Betty Dravis of Woodbridge has no plans to retire soon, or ever.Climbing the ladder of success as

a writer is no small task. At age 11, Betty knew she had a talent for writing as she expressed herself in poetry. Later, she married and gave birth to six children, writing part time as a freelance journalist, or stringer, for several newspapers in and around San Jose, CA. When her children were all in school, Betty found full time employment in the newspaper business. Eventually, Betty founded her own newspaper and put dreams of writing a novel on the shelf. By this time, she was a single parent raising six children and working long hours to support her active family.As a journalist, Betty thrived

on celebrity interviews. She was quick-witted, could think on her feet and did whatever it took to get the interview. For a paper in Gilroy, she scooped exclusive interviews with such notables as Clint Eastwood, Senator Ted Kennedy, Jane Mansfield and country western singer Tanya Tucker. Betty claims

to this day that, "Clint is mine. I admit to being half in love with the living legend. I talk about him all the time. I even have an oil portrait of me with him created by artist Sally Ann Rowland

from a photo of Clint and me following the interview."Betty's own newspaper was a

Building Trades Union publication and she worked with many politicians and union bosses. Throughout her life, Betty has rubbed elbows and shoulders with hundreds of powerful movers and shakers. From those early years of writing and working and raising her family alone, Betty continued to grow and develop as a writer.Betty's list of awards and

accomplishments is long and impressive. Longer still is her list of admirers and fans. She's garnered awards from the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County and the California State Assembly. She placed ninth in the International Shorty Awards, just three places behind sixth place J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. Not bad for a "Little old lady from Woodbridge." The list goes on and includes Best Paranormal/Horror book from Zodiac Entertainment.Betty is the author of 10

published books, with two more in reserve for future publication, and she's working on a new book, Betty Dravis’ Eyes. To her great delight, she has been approached

Betty Dravis is quite famous in certain literary circles. Still working long hours each day, this dynamic writer is living her dream and connects with the world from her home here at Woodbridge.


WBL photo by Deb Ristau.Betty Dravis holds a copy of 1106 Grand Boulevard, one of the 10 books she has written.

with a movie deal for one of her books. According to Betty, "This is very exciting, but I can't really say more about it until it's done.”Betty is extremely active online

and even created "The Betty Awards," an Internet-based award for writers. Paying it forward, Betty likes helping other authors via the Internet with reviews and she reviews books for Amazon on a regular basis.Betty doesn't get out much. You

won't see her loitering at the Lakeview Clubhouse. She has too

much to do working on her computer at home and loving every minute.If you get the chance to meet Betty,

you will smile at her cute laugh, and, as she says, "You would think of me as a family or romance author, but I like horror most of all. I cut my teeth on Stephen King and Dean Koontz."Betty says, "God inspires me. I've

always been goal oriented and love to write. I'm doing something I love to do. My ultimate dream is a book to movie and that is now a real possibility."

Want to know more? Visit: Bettydravis.com

Books by Betty Dravis: Dream Reachers Dream Reachers II Star Struck

Six Pack of Blood Six Pack of Fear 1106 Grand Boulevard The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley Millennium Babe: The Prophecy V.O. The Search for Bobby McGee Homer, Hector and the Smashed-Up Jag


SEE BROTHERHOOD page 25

The MAN Page

Photo courtesy of Shirley McCarthy.Men of Woodbridge members got together for a photograph at their annual Taco Feed last month. Ed Shoup, Lem Phillips and Carl Willhoft are seated in front with the rest of the members working at the Taco Feed.

MEN OF WOODBRIDGE HOST TACO FEEDBy Ed Shoup

Toys for Tots and Holiday Homes Tour:

In December our Men of Woodbridge Group presented

a check in the amount of $500 to the United States Marine Corps representatives of the Toys for Tots association. The donation was used to purchase more new toys for the less fortunate children. A special "Thank you" to everyone who donated a new unwrapped toy for the event. We emptied the collection boxes several times and your generosity helped make the holiday nicer for many children. Our community really came together for the children in December. Several members of our group

also served as greeters and poured champagne and sparkling cider for those attending the annual Holiday Homes Tour in December.

Taco Feed:We hosted another successful taco

feed on Wednesday, January 15. The event sold out early and everyone seemed to have a great time. Another big "Thank you" to everyone who attended and to those who helped throughout the evening. Special thanks to Shirley McCarthy for taking photographs.

Meetings:Our January meeting was held at the

C-K Bar and Grill where we met for a breakfast meeting to discuss coming events and plans.Our group is open to all male

residents of our great community. We generally meet on the second Monday of each month at 10 a.m. in the Club Room at the Lakeview Clubhouse.

WHEELSBy Bill Barnhart, Head Lugnut

First, I apologize to everyone for not including an article in last

month’s newspaper. There is no excuse; it just didn’t happen. So, here is the article that should have appeared in January.The Wheels of Woodbridge Car

Club meets the first Tuesday of every month and, starting in 2014, our meeting time is 10:30 a.m. in the Club Room. For a bunch of old guys and now some gals as well, we are a pretty active group. Our off-site activities over 2013 have included: breakfast with our spouses at Frank’s in Ripon in February, April, August and October; a fantastic lunch with our spouses at the Ripon Roadhouse in December; out of town road trips to the Turlock swap meet in January, the Black Hawk Museum in Danville in September and a trip to the Dominator Speed Shop in Tracy in December; a potluck dinner back in January and a Second Harvest Volunteer Appreciation dinner in June. We topped that in September with a great dinner following the Poker Run held for the entire Woodbridge community. We’ve found that food, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, is a great way to draw the entire club and community together to enjoy

each other’s company, friendship and a few TALL stories.On an individual level, many of the

club members entered their cars in shows here in Manteca as well as Stockton, Livermore, Modesto, Escalon and elsewhere, bringing home many awards and honors. Often these off-site car shows are fundraisers for causes such as the Junior ROTC at East Union High School, Toys for Tots in Stockton or the Boys and Girls Club in Tracy. Wheels of Woodbridge also donated $200 to the Marines Toys for Tots program at Christmastime.The 2013 Rods, Roadsters and

Cruising Car Show, held here at Woodbridge in July in front of the new model homes, was a resounding success. In partnership with the Women of Woodbridge and the Men of Woodbridge, Wheels of Woodbridge was able to raise $7,300 after expenses for Second Harvest Food Bank. This, added to our total fundraising effort for Second Harvest over the preceding three years, brought our total fundraising effort to $30,000. Again, not bad for a bunch of old guys. We were also able to document at the 2013 car show that the Pulte sponsorship of the car show as a sales event was quite successful for Pulte—six homes sold that day!So, if you are a guy or a gal, and

you are a new or longtime resident, and you have an interest in cars, come check us out.

BROTHERHOODWritten by Kyle Becker, December 17, 2013

http://kylenbecker.com

Submitted by Bill BarnhartA sailor’s dying wish is fulfilled in the most legendary of ways …

As someone whose Navy veteran father recently passed away, I

know personally that he was never prouder of anything in his life than his military service. That is one reason I find this story so moving. I hope you will, too.

The account is of a “sailor’s dying wish,” that of Bud Cloud, a veteran of the U.S. Navy who passed away last June after having been enrolled in hospice care by his daughter. Cloud’s request to the U.S. Navy… well, I’ll let her daughter Jennie Haskamp, herself a Marine veteran, tell the story:

After signing my pop, EM2 Bud Cloud (circa Pearl Harbor) up

for hospice care, the consolation prize

www.landscapingbyben.com


WOA Business P&GC REPORT

By Mike Spence, ChairProperty and Grounds Committee

We have had some personnel changes in the Property & Grounds Committee (P&GC). I’d like to welcome aboard Bekke Hess as an alternate member. Larry Russell was elected vice chair of P&GC by his fellow members. Sadly, Terry Hickey has left P&GC due to personal reasons. We have two vacancies on P&GC. If you would like to serve, you may pick up an application at the front desk.The faulty valves on Lake

Rockwell’s bio-filter have been replaced. The filtering system is up and running as designed. Our lake maintenance contractor, WaterWorks, who completed the repairs, will monitor the lake’s “health” and adjust its other activities to fully utilize the bio-filter.The putting course is in need of

maintenance and upgrading. The artificial grass used as the putting

A Pulte contractor has completed the ADA-required modifications to the round tube hand rails near the putting course and around Lake Rockwell. A side benefit to these modifications is that the complete rail system at each location was sanded, primed and painted at no expense to WOA. The hardware on the restroom doors at the concession stand was modified by a Pulte contractor for ADA compliance and the doors painted at no expense to WOA.As an experiment, staff and P&GC

asked our maintenance personnel to prep and paint the fences around the transformers next to the bocce courts. The task took longer than expected due to weather and a “when we can fit it in” schedule. The end product is super and the cost savings are significant. (Good job, Ramon and Mike!) The next task for our maintenance personnel is to repaint the round hand railing at the softball field. With so many freshly painted round tube railings around the Clubhouse, this last one needed our in-house attention.The “Well Project” at Stockbridge

Park is progressing. To summarize, P&GC, as a follow-up to the Board’s 2013 Energy Reduction Task Force, was tasked to investigate and evaluate the possibility of drilling a well at Stockbridge Park to provide irrigation (not potable) water for the park and nearby landscaping. The preliminary return on investment numbers is intriguing and warrants further investigation. We will be consulting landscape architects, other engineers and knowledgeable sources to make further inquiries about the feasibility of this project. Our Board will make all spending decisions about this project. P&GC is hard at work gathering information so the Board may make informed decisions.

Save Energy.Save Water.

Save the Planet.

Mike Spence

surface is nearing the end of its useful life. The surfaces around the holes (cups) are deforming slightly due to our inability to move the holes as frequently as golf courses do. The putting surfaces are often moist from irrigation water. The white painted pavers we use as tee markers are proving to be a tripping hazard. To resolve putting surface issues, staff is trying to identify potential contractors to make the repairs. P&GC and staff worked with our landscape contractor, GP, to modify the irrigation system around the course and adjust the landscape trimming standards. P&GC has identified plastic conical replacement tee markers and as of this writing, they are on order.


Our family welcomes yours.

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1507 W. Yosemite, Manteca

General DentistryMark A. Hochhalter, DDSBonnie J. Morehead, DDSRudy R. Ciccarelli, DDSElizabeth C. Grecco, DDS Ron G. Joseph, DDSDaman P. Saini, DDSHarneet K. Saini, DDS

Pediatric DentistryMohammad El Farra, DDS*Prachi D. Shah, DDS*General Dentist Practice Limited to Children

Oral & Maxillofacial SurgeryMark A. Grecco, DMD - Diplomate, American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Valley Oak Dental Group is a multi-specialty group practice committed to excellence. Our Pediatric Department provides a comfortable, caring atmosphere for your children.We provide the latest General Dentistry procedures in a state-of-the-art dental suite.Our Oral Surgery Department provides general anesthesia and I.V. sedation in a safe, professional environment.

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P&PC By Norm Hauser, Chair

Policy and Procedures Committee

As always, requests for changes in the detailed administration of Policy and Procedure directives may be directed to the Executive Director by email or during monthly Executive Director input sessions. Comments may also be made directly to the board during the residents’ open input portion of any regular board meeting.All residents are encouraged to

attend committee and open work group meetings. Early in every meeting, we ask residents in attendance to give voice to their ideas or concerns. Your input is important and, after all, you will be living with the end product of our discussions and the resulting board policies.We continue to seek the participation

of residents in our various meetings.We have openings for members

on the committee and encourage residents to bring their varied talents to the table by applying for and joining our group.The Policy and Procedures

Committee will meet next at 2 p.m., February 10, (the second Monday of the month).

A work group of the Policy and Procedures Committee (P&PC) met on Monday, January 13. We continued to discuss the rental policies as we pulled out operations-specific details. Kayo Armstrong, our Executive Director, provided her suggested format for a revised rental policy in hard copy. This document was reviewed at length and after changes agreed to during the meeting were made by Kayo, she provided an electronic copy to committee members for further review.The rental policy that will emerge

as a final recommendation to the board will govern the “what” and “why” and will be a simple statement of just what our community wants to have controlled when Woodbridge facilities are being rented. The “how” will be left to our staff. That “how” will include the development and use of any specific forms, such as contracts or agreements, the specifications related to any security needs, the setting of any fees that may be deemed necessary, and the many other details that will be needed to actually implement the Rental Policy.

Norm Hauser

SEE BROTHERHOOD page 26

I’d given him (for agreeing it was OK to die) was a trip to “visit the Navy in San Diego.”

I emailed my friend and former Marine sergeant, Mrs. Mandy McCammon, who’s currently serving as a Navy Public Affairs Officer, at midnight on 28 May. I asked Mandy if she had enough pull on any of the bases in San Diego to get me access for the day so I could give Bud, who served on USS Dewey (DD-349), a windshield tour.

The next day she sent me an email from the current USS Dewey (DDG 105)’s XO, CDR Mikael Rockstad, inviting us down to the ship two days later.

As is so typical of the U.S. Armed Forces, what happened next went

beyond expectations.

We linked up with Mandy outside Naval Base San Diego and carpooled to the pier where we were greeted by CMDCM Joe Grgetich and a squad-sized group of sailors. Bud started to cry before the doors of the van opened. He’d been oohing and pointing at the cyclic rate as we approached the pier, but when we slowed down and Mandy said, “They’re all here for you, Bud,” he was overwhelmed.

After we were all out of the van directly in front of the Dewey, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, Petty Officer Simon introduced himself and said, as the ship’s Sailor of the Year, he had the honor of pushing Bud’s wheelchair for the day. Unbeknownst to us, they’d decided

BROTHERHOOD page 22


Jim Cadle

Scoring the GameBy Jim Cadle

He twisted upward toward the light, drifting gently, unafraid.

Emerging into a brightness as warm as sunlight, he joined long lines of humans moving swiftly toward what appeared to be three majestic gateways in the distance. The people numbered in the thousands, each silent, contemplative, intent on the distant goal.Time seemed without meaning in

this strange place. Sooner than expected, he reached the center gate. A large, grizzled, bearded man in flowing robes looked at him and asked, "We have your name in The Book as James Edward Cradle. Is that correct?"

"It's Cadle. Cadle without the R."

"Oh, sorry. I'm here to write your life's most important accomplishments … in 50 words or less."

"But how can I describe my life with such short parameters?" he asked. "I've lived nearly a century."

"Some of the earliest entrants have lived more than nine times your life span. They managed. Quickly now."

The years rushed through his consciousness, from growing up in a tiny Midwest village, a slightly above average student, his deep love of family, a strong adherence to Christianity. He shocked his family by enlisting in the Marine Corps shortly after high school graduation and then spent three years of peacetime duty in California.

After his discharge from military service, he joined law enforcement, attended law school to become a lawyer, then Superior Court judge. He spent 53 years in the judicial system, never reaching the summit, but scrambling partway up the slope."Wait a minute," he said aloud.

"None of those things are important, especially now. The most important, the most lasting accomplishments in my life were those many took for granted."

"This is taking longer than Methuselah," the gatekeeper said."Start your word count, old boy.

I'm anxious to see what comes after I enter that gate, or maybe it's if I enter that gate. Here are my greatest accomplishments down there."I loved and was loved in return,

had wise, wonderful parents, married a warm, passionate, thoroughly remarkable woman who gave birth to three truly unique daughters. They, in turn, gave me nine of the most accomplished grandchildren any man could desire. Only one will be called Cadle."Glancing down to write, the

gatekeeper murmured softly, "And now for your regrets. No word limit here."

"As it should be, given the life I've led."

Looking back at the rapidly lengthening line and crossing his fingers behind his back, he said, "I regret nothing I've done, but only those things I've not experienced."

"Perfect answer," the gatekeeper replied. "Come in. You're going to like it here very much."

James Cadle, a former judge, is active in the Woodbridge community. He is a member of the Woodbridge writers group meeting on the third Tuesday of each month. The story above was written as an assignment. Residents are welcome to audit sessions led by former newspaper editor, Phil Bookman.�

to host Bud aboard the Dewey, not at the Dewey. And so they carried him aboard. None of us expected him to go aboard the ship. I’d told him we were going down to the base and would have the chance to meet and greet a few of the sailors from the new Dewey. He was ecstatic. The day before, he asked every few hours if we were “…still going down to visit the boys from the Dewey,” and “Do they know I was on the Dewey, too?”

Once aboard, we were greeted by the CO, CDR Jake Douglas, the XO and a reinforced platoon-sized group of sailors. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement. These men and women waited in line to introduce themselves to Bud. They shook his hand, asked for photos with him and swapped stories. It was simply amazing.

They didn’t just talk to him, they listened.

That is one thing the U.S. military needs to get more credit for in our culture: It teaches respect for our elders and the honor that is needed to protect the nation, not just in a strict military sense, but in terms of preserving respect in society. The sailors’ treatment of EM2 Cloud is illustrative.

Bud’s voice was little more than a weak whisper at this point and he’d tell a story and then GMC Eisman or GSCS Whynot would repeat it so all of the sailors on deck could hear. In the midst of the conversations, Petty Officer Flores broke contact with the group. Bud was telling a story and CMDCM Grgetich was repeating the details when Flores walked back into view holding a huge photo of the original USS Dewey. That moment was priceless. Bud stopped mid-sentence and yelled, “There she is!” They patiently stood there holding the photo while he told them about her armament, described the way it listed after it was hit and shared other details about the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Bud finally admitted how tired he was after more than an hour on deck. While they were finishing goodbyes and taking last minute photographs, GMC Eisman asked if it’d be OK to bring sailors up to visit Bud in a few

months after a Chief’s board. I hadn’t said it yet because I didn’t want to dampen the spirit of the day, but I quietly explained to GMC Eisman the reason we’d asked for the visit was simple: Bud was dying.

I told him they were welcome to come up any time they wanted, but I suspected Bud had about a month left to live. Almost without hesitation, he asked if the crew could provide the burial honors when the time came. I assured him that’d be an honor we’d welcome.

Leaving the ship was possibly more emotional than boarding.

Jennie Haskamp regales us with the heart-wrenching and inspiring details of what happened:

Bud died 13 days later. For 12 of those 13 days, he talked about the Dewey, her sailors and his visit to San Diego. Everyone who came to the house had to hear the story, see the photos, hold the coins, read the plaques.

True to his word, GMC Eisman arranged the details for a full honors burial. The ceremony was simple yet magnificent. It was a perfect sendoff for an ornery old guy who never, ever stopped being proud to be a sailor. After the funeral, the sailors came back to the house for the reception and spent an hour with the family. This may seem like a small detail, but it’s another example of their going above and beyond the call of duty, and it meant more to the family than I can explain.

Haskamp tells us what her father thought of the experience with the sailors on the USS Dewey: “This is the best day of my life, daughter. I never in my whole life dreamed I’d step foot on the Dewey again or shake the hand of a real-life sailor.”

She concludes, “Without question, it’s the best example of Semper Fidelis I’ve ever seen.”

God Bless America and Her Defenders!

�

BROTHERHOOD page 25


Jake's StoryAs written by Ray Noble

Editor's Note: Phil Bookman gave his Creative Writing class participants an assignment. According to Ray Noble, "He [Phil] gave us the bones of a story and we were to put the flesh on it. You'd have to ask Phil exactly what those bones were, I've lost my notes. I do remember they purposely had no meat on them at all. I took each of those bones and composed a picture in my mind, then described what I saw. Being an artist helped."The following story is Ray Noble's creative account. This is a fictional story.

I watched Jake as he stared in the mirror. Minutes passed as he took inventory; 5’10”, 280

lbs, BMI of 40.2 equaling morbidly obese, scarred flesh torn from bullet wounds, shrapnel and jagged parts of a disintegrating chopper; after 31 years, all of it evident and ugly.

It didn’t matter. There was nothing left to matter now. Roberta was gone. And he was hungry again. Just the act of eating made him hungry. It was the way he could handle the incessant pain of the headaches that scorched his brain. It had been so since the chopper crash, … no it was the crack of the .45-caliber slug rending the skull of the VC [Vietcong] soldier, and then those eyes that were no longer the windows of the soul.

Jake hated all of it; the war we were not allowed to win, the bloody cruelty of the killing with no plausible effect and the scorching of a beautiful country. When he was inducted, he decided not to carry arms, so his MOS was as a Medic. That way he could feel a clear conscience in saving rather taking lives.

I listened as Jake mused and his mind drifted back these 31 years to that last mission. It was to be a normal if somewhat risky recovery of some wounded following a firefight, about 50 miles from their location. The chopper pilot, a seasoned veteran with but two months left to serve before going home performed a normal avoidance approach with a low sweep and an abrupt touch down. “We were expecting some incoming, but except for some distant gunfire there was none." Jake spoke barely above a whisper.

“I leaped into the low brush but there were no GIs. The only wounded was a single VC retching in pain from a shattered knee wound. What a pitiful sight, like me, just another lost soul in this damned jungle. I picked him up and threw him aboard the chopper, to the disgust of Sargent Sam. He had always viewed my compassion as a character weakness. But small arms fire was increasing and getting closer so this was no time

to lecture me on the practical side of combat effectiveness. So the chopper lifted straight up, then moved to clear the meadow and on well above the jungle.”

“Right then at about 900 feet, some random automatic fire hit one of our engine's electronic controls. The engines went immediately to 40% power, not nearly enough power for our load. Sam ordered us to throw anything loose overboard to lighten the load and halt the decent. But we continued to drop. Finally Sam ordered me to throw the VC out.”

“I was shaking with fear and loathing the prospect of throwing a live being from the chopper. Sam barked the order again, but I could not move. In a single swift move Sam swept his .45 from his holster, popped the safety off and shot the VC in the forehead spattering the rear of his cranium against the aft bulkhead.”

Jake explained he was horror driven as he saw what was occurring and nudged the VC out of the opening. He was momentarily frozen as the body fell away and grew smaller, and the jungle grew larger.

Jake braced for the crash.

Jake continued, “Our pilot, Joe was killed instantly when a broken piece of the rotor entered the cockpit and removed his face. Sam’s spine was severed,” and it was only moments before his eyes lost the sign of life with an unfocused stare that Jake had seen so many times before.

Jake, apart from superficial lacerations was whole, but he could hear the rustle of VC in the thick jungle on their way here to claim whatever prize remained.

Now for the first time in the last hour, he could think clearly; he was the only survivor, if they didn’t kill him, life as a POW was worse. The only option; run, cover, observe, run, cover, observe. Repeat. As much as he hated guns he had taken Sam’s .45 and would use it on himself if necessary. But he did not need to. After two weeks of running, hiding, and eating dead things or their maggot parasites, Jake reached the safety of the friendlies, and in two more days was back in his unit hospital for R&R. He weighed a Photo courtesy of Bill Barnhart.

Ray Noble is active in several WOA Groups including the Wheels of Woodbridge.

hundred pounds.

As the story spread of his attempt to help a “Gook,” he became an object of ridicule and he was shunned. The isolation took its toll. There was some talk of a court-martial for “Assisting the Enemy.” The brass however preferred to “Go Quiet” on the subject to avoid publicity. The unpopular war was winding down. They saw no advantage in raising attention on any controversial point.

All that was 31 years ago. Jake drifted through life like a rudderless boat, taking odd jobs, attending several schools on the GI Bill, random relationships and places both abroad and at home.

But finally home for Jake became Juneau, Alaska.

He had worked the pipeline in Alaska and the state’s isolation suited him. His relations with people had not produced good results and no results with women. That was of course until he met Roberta. She was the only person on God’s green earth who understood who Jake was and could love him for it. But Jake's constant brooding and dark outlook had, after eleven years, proven to be too large a burden for even this dear lady. So she, without drama, but with quiet tears went South.

Jake even more sullen than usual went to his rucksack and extracted the only souvenir he carried. It was Sam’s old .45 which he put in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

I knew Jake. He was my brother.

Ray Noble served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955. He is a retired art teacher and member of the Woodbridge writers group that meets the third Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. in the Club Room at the Lakeview Clubhouse. Residents are welcome to audit sessions led by former newspaper editor Phil Bookman.

�


Woodbridge has more than its fair share of birds. You can attribute our

large population of birds to several factors; we are only a hundred miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco estuary is only 60 miles away, portions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta are just a few miles to the north, but the biggest reason is Woodbridge is smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Flyway. The Pacific Flyway is one of four

flyways in North America that birds use to migrate from summer habitats in the Arctic to winter homes in the warmer climates of Florida, Texas, Mexico, Central America and even Manteca. Many water fowl, including ducks, geese and cranes, overwinter near Lodi. They forage daily for vegetation found throughout the Central Valley. The large flocks can be seen flying over Woodbridge, often calling and honking to one another. During their stay in our neighborhood, many of the birds go through a molt just before departing for the north. Replacing the all-important flight feathers is very important to a bird’s ability to return to the northern breeding grounds. None of these migration activities

are strictly observed by all water fowl. Our “Aflac” and companions should not routinely remain at Woodbridge during the summer. We are visited by great blue herons during the winter but some do not go to their regular summer grounds on the west coast of British Columbia. That said, the urge to migrate is a very powerful instinct in birds. People keeping migratory birds in captivity have long noted migratory restlessness during the beginning of the migratory season. The captive birds thrash about frenetically in their enclosures, beginning at dusk and sometimes lasting until midnight.How can we enjoy our visiting avian

friends? There are several ways:

Birds over WoodbridgeBy Mike Spence

✸ You can make your yards more bird friendly by

adding fresh water (especially running water) for bathing and drinking, by putting out various bird feed in several separated areas and heights and providing a place (bushes and shrubs) where birds can hide from predatory animals and birds. Then just sit back quietly with your binoculars.

✸ You can take a brief road trip. There are

several California State Parks in Stanislaus, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties that have great birding potential. Check with www.parks.CA.gov for details. The city of Stockton operates the Stockton Constructed Wetlands with over 700 birds representing at least 55 species. The facility may be toured by appointment only. Contact www.

Stockton.gov for details. Since the birds often forage during the day, early mornings and evenings provide the best opportunity for bird watching.

✸ Next there are organized events with bird themes.

The Sandhill Crane Festival is held in Lodi in early November of each year. The Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway held its 15th annual celebration in Chico, January 22-26, 2014. California Duck Days 2014 will be held in Davis on February 22, 2014. All of these events (there are others) are open to the public, some with small fees. They provide general and sometimes detailed information about birds in the Central Valley.

vHappyValentine's

Day!


Manteca Murals: Yokut IndiansStory and photos by Volker Moerbitz

Welcome back to our Manteca Mural Tour. Today we will

travel far back in time and visit the first people who called the Central Valley their home.

In this mural, a family gathers around a fire. They belong to a small nation that came into the Central Valley 8,000 years ago - 2,500 years before the pyramids were built. They called themselves Yokut, which in their language means “The People.”

The mural is located at Library Park at the southwest corner of Center Street and Poplar Avenue. It was created by Manteca mural artist Terry Pasquini in 2012.

The Yokut hunted small animals and gathered acorns. The mural is framed by two oak trees and wherever there were oaks growing in the valley, there was a Yokut family. The acorns were ground in small mortar holes in the bedrock. We still find these grinding holes all over the valley, even in downtown Manteca, right on Yosemite Avenue.

Closest to the fire sits a mother with two children. At her feet is a woven basket. The Yokut were master weavers and their baskets were both pieces of art and essential household items. They were woven so tightly that they could actually hold water. How do you cook your meal in a world that does not provide material for pottery? You mix your ground acorns with water, take a red-hot stone from the fire pit and put it in the basket until your mixture boils. I’ve tried it. It tastes like oatmeal and it nourished the Yokut people for thousands of years.

Now, have a look at the fire: It is a living thing. The Yokut world was a world of spirits. The fire spirits perform a dance and the smoke unites the family with their ancestors who now live in the animals sacred to the people. Look at the rattlesnake, the hawk, the deer or the bear – each one has a

human face, connecting the people with those who have moved on into the spirit world.

Right on top of the fire, the smoke turns into a wolf. The Yokut descend from older people who called themselves Yowlumne" which means "People from the Land of Howlers” or, simply, the "Wolf People."

The face within the wolf could very well be that of Chief Estanislao. In 1827, when most of the Yokut were already rounded up and sent to the missions, Estanislao, a baptized Yokut chief from the San José Mission gathered 4,000 followers and put up one last fight for the land of his ancestors. In 1829, this last stand took place at what is now Caswell State Park. Estanislao died in 1838, together with almost all of his people, falling prey to malaria and small pox. His name lives on. In 1854, newly formed Stanislaus county was named after the great chief and the Laquisimas River, scene of his last battle, was renamed Stanislaus River.

Today, there are only about 600 Yokut people still living in California. You can meet some of them, listen to their songs and watch their dances every year on 4th of July weekend at the Powwow at Three Rivers Indian Lodge, less than five minutes north of Woodbridge.

Yokut legacy still lives with us in more ways than we imagine. In the background of the mural looms the holy mountain of the Yokut, Mount

Diablo. Have you ever wondered why so many places in Central California have devilish names like Diablo Canyon or Devils Postpile? It is a simple error in translation. To the Spanish missionaries, the spirit world of the Yokut was a foreign concept. For lack of better words, they translated Sky Spirits with “angels” (ángeles in Spanish) and

Earth Spirits with “devil” (diablo). And so, the “Valley of the Sky Spirits” (Los Angeles) and the “Mountain of the Earth Spirits" (Mount Diablo) still pay tribute to the people who once roamed these lands for 250 generations.

Next month we will visit another mural at the same location and learn about the first pioneers. ✸

WBL photo's by Volker Moerbitz.This mural shown at top with detailed inserts is located at Library Park at the southwest

corner of Center Street and Poplar Avenue. It was created by Manteca mural artist Terry Pasquini in 2012. According to Wikipedia, the Yokuts are native to central California. Prior to European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 separate tribes speaking the same language. Some of their descendants refer to themselves by their respective tribal names and reject the name Yokuts with the claim that it is an exonym invented by English speaking settlers and historians. Yokuts tribes populated the San Joaquin Valley from the delta to Bakersfield and also the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Population estimates vary, but research suggests the Yokut had numbered about 70,000

before Europeans brought malaria and small pox to the land.


Seasonal Characteristics of Lake Rockwell By Kayo Armstrong

L ake Rockwell is a lake of many faces. And with each “face” comes unique benefits and varied

challenges. The most difficult part of maintaining the lake is enabling it to be all things to all people. This, of course, is an impossible task, but the WOA maintenance team and our contractor, Water Works, work diligently to ensure the lake is operating optimally, while balancing and continually prioritizing its many faces. First and most importantly, the

lake is here to provide reclaimed irrigation water for the community’s central amenity park, hence saving a substantial amount of WOA irrigation dollars. This irrigation water supply is even more critical in the current drought environment we’re in. For some, the lake is purely aesthetic scenery… something pretty to look at while taking a walk or a bike ride. For others, the lake is here to provide a recreational amenity … catch and release fishing. For others, it is a safe sanctuary for fish and other wildlife that reside in and around the lake.

While all these purposes are correct and true, one can easily see that they vary greatly and thus are addressed differently. Those who understand the lake is here for irrigation do not want to use harsh chemicals that may make the lake crystal clear because those would also damage plant life. Those who believe the lake is here for pure aesthetics don’t necessarily realize the chemicals that would be needed to keep it crystal clear would contaminate the irrigation water and hurt the wildlife. Those who want healthy and abundant fish for their grandkids to catch and release also don’t want those harsh chemicals, even though they may make it easier to spot the fish. And those who complain about seasonal odors don’t necessarily realize

our lake is a natural, ecologically balanced body of water, and unfortunately nature doesn’t always have the sweet aroma of spring flowers.

You get the point. Lake Rockwell has many different “faces” or “jobs” and as many different expectations as the number of residents who live here. The mission of our maintenance team and contractor is to balance the results for which the lake was designed with the expectations of our residents. The aquatic plants provide essential nutrients to the water and are all a part of and necessary for the eco-balance of the lake’s system. Also contributing to this eco-balance are the wildlife, seasonal growth (whether pretty or not) and proper manmade chemicals and treatments.

This year, we are seeing unseasonal signs of algae and plant growth because of the lack of moisture in the air and early warm temperatures. The environment we typically address in late spring/early summer is here now and in response we’ve adjusted our maintenance tactics.

Typically, the lake will show the following characteristics, although as stated, this year is very different in many ways:

Typical Spring/Summer Lake Characteristics:

1. Fish spawning and hatching.

2. Birds and waterfowl laying eggs and eggs hatching.

3. Algae and vegetation growth.

4. Cattail growth in the planter beds.

5. Clearer water as the growing vegetation filters out the water.

6. Irrigation increases resulting in a greater amount of fresh water from the well pump which can add to clarity.

7. Possible odors in the lake from the growing algae and vegetation.

Typical Fall/Winter Lake Characteristics:1. Less activity from the fish and

wildlife that live in and around the lake system.

2. Aquatic vegetation and algae going dormant and dying off for the winter.

3. Cattails going dormant,

browning out and falling over. Reduction in water quality due to the cattails and vegetation dying off and rain water and area drainage entering the lake system.

4. Odors associated with the algae and vegetation dormancy and cooler temperatures.

5. Odors can also be attributed to the reduction in water turnover due to the decrease in irrigation.

6. Reduction in dissolved oxygen in the lake due to cooler water temperatures.

As you can see, Lake Rockwell is complex to maintain, and it’s even more challenging to meet every expectation of every resident. Next time you have a complaint about a smell or sight, please pause to consider the many diverse functions of the lake.

I greatly appreciate the dedicated work of the Water Works team which provides the maintenance service for our lake and entry fountains. In fact, Water Works recently received a national industry award for its outstanding work at Lake Rockwell in Manteca. ✸

WBL photo by Volker Moerbitz.Lake Rockwell provides reclaimed irrigation water for the community's central amenity park, saving substantial WOA funds.


WBL photo's by Volker Moerbitz.Top: The marina at Folsom Lake lays drying in the January sun as California suffers

without rain to refill lakes and reservoirs. Bottom: Visitors explore the lake bottom and ruins of an old mining town in the Sierra Nevada foothills. All California residents are urged to conserve water as predictions indicate yet another dry winter ahead.

A lake hits rock bottom and exposes Gold Rush history

Story and photos by Volker Moerbitz

Did your New Year’s resolutions include doing something

you have never done before? Try walking across a lake! And don’t worry; you don’t have to walk on water, just on mud.

Currently, California is experi-encing the worst drought in re-corded history. As bad as that is for our state and our farms, it has an upside for the history buff: The chance to walk through the rem-nants of a town last seen in 1955, before the waters of Folsom Lake drowned it.

Mormon Island was one of the first communities built in the wake of the California Gold Rush. In March 1948, just six weeks after James W. Marshall's legendary discovery at Sutter’s Mill, two members of the Mormon Battalion discovered gold at the same river near Folsom and soon 150 Mormons and other miners flocked to the site. Five years later, the town, now called Mormon Island, had 2,500 inhabitants, four hotels, stores, churches and saloons. However, af-ter only eight years, a fire destroyed the town in 1856 and it was never rebuilt.

In 1955, Folsom Dam was built and Folsom Lake soon became one of the largest reservoirs in Califor-nia, engulfing all that was left of the 100-year-old ruins of Mormon Island. These days, the lake, which usually holds a million acre-feet of water, has dropped below 200,000 acre-feet, exposing buildings that are usually 1,000 feet offshore and 100 feet under water.

On the first weekend of January, we took a road trip to Folsom Lake and saw boats without water, a marina without boats and walked amongst the ruins of one of Califor-

nia’s oldest towns. Most of Mormon Island is still under the waters of what is left of Folsom Lake, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. We still felt like explorers.

Archaeologists believe the exposed buildings were part of a dairy farm at the outskirts of town. They discov-ered concrete in the building’s foun-dations, a technology not used in the original mining town.

However, the biggest excitement did not come from the walls and foundations of the old buildings. It came from all the things people left behind. Old shoes, spectacles, rusty nails, bottles and tools – it was as if all 2,500 people at the same moment dropped everything they had and left. It was almost as if California now had its own Pompeii, a town frozen in time when the fire hit and then was pre-served for the ages – Pompeii by volcanic ash, Mormon Island by water.

On the way back, contem-plating what we had just seen, a crazy thought crossed my mind. I will never have a chance to leave a footprint on the moon, but so what? How many people can say they left a footprint at the bottom of a 100-foot deep lake? So I went back and pressed my shoe deep in the mud – a small step for man-kind, but a giant leap for a dreamer like me. ✸


Garden Tasks for February

By Sandi Larson, Master Gardener

We are heading into warmer weather whether we want

to believe it or not. The cold snap that we had in December was brutal. I believe we had a week of freezing evenings, tough on most plants. If you are still looking at brown leaves that look dead, resist the urge to cut them down. It’s hard to accurately predict whether a plant will die or not at first glance. The damage that your plants have received may not be obvious until April or May whether they’re dying or not. The best thing you can do is leave the damaged branches and leaves on the plant as it is. The plant will be protected by not pruning! Folks who have already pruned those branches need to watch out

Sandi Larson

for the next freeze because any new growth that is now emerging could possibly sustain further damage.

February is a good month to feed your citrus trees and to use a dormant spray on fruit trees. If you haven’t pruned your roses, this is the last chance to do that. Next month you’ll be putting down rose fertilizer. This is also the last chance to plant bare root roses. After this you’ll be

looking at the potted varieties. This is also a good time to repot outdoor plants in pots. Your indoor plants will probably start to show signs of new growth in March.

If you are looking for a dependable flowering shrub, look no further than an azalea! I have never seen azaleas so dependable - both the sun and shade varieties - as they are here in Woodbridge. I have beautiful flowers in my back and front yards and I do hardly anything with them. Rhododendrons are also available now in the nurseries.

February is a good month to prepare your vegetable beds unless we’ve had a lot of rain. Pull weeds this month but resist the urge to plant any tomato seeds or summer vegetables outdoors because the frost danger is there until the end of February. However, if you are just dying to start vegetables, you can begin indoor seeds this month.

I’ve seen many yards planted with pansies and violas. February is also a good month to plant stock (very aromatic), calendula, candytuft (which spreads wider every year), ornamental kale, snapdragons and Iceland poppies.

Your camellias should be blooming this month. These are the Camellia japonica varieties. (The sasanqua variety was the one that bloomed in November.) Pulte put the sasanqua variety of camellias in many of our front yards.

Daphne also is a shrub that blooms in February. This is another very fragrant shrub that needs eastern exposure. I’ve had friends try this shrub with no success, so feel privileged if you’ve found a spot for this little beauty!

February is also a good month to prune deciduous trees, vines, fruit trees and shrubs. Do not prune spring blooming plants such as lilac, azalea, camellia, snowball bush or rhododendron. They all are either setting or have set their buds for this year’s blooms.

I love quince. I don’t own a quince but they are beautiful shrubs and the cuttings look wonderful in a vase.

Snails, as usual, are a problem. Either handpick them or use a powdered, pellet or liquid snail bait. If you have animals, make sure you read the warnings on the label.

If you want to get out and see things blooming, drive over to Filoli Gardens in Woodside. In February they have camellias, the daffodil field, hellebores, early tulips, daphne, quince, forsythia and Dutch hyacinths, to name a few. It’s beautiful at Filoli no matter when you go, but I particularly love February and March. Of course, you’ll love their fully-stocked gift shop and their nursery with Filoli-grown plants to purchase. Enjoy your garden. Happy planting!

BACKPAIN???????? Call

DR. JON SERAFIN B.S. D.C. At

Lathrop Chiropractic 16972 S. Harlan Rd.Lathrop, CA 95330 Ph (209) 858-1029

www.docserafin.com Want to talk to your Congressman?

By Deb Ristau

The 10th Congressional District Mobile Office will be in Manteca on Friday, February 7, and Friday, February 14, between 10 a.m. and 11:30

a.m. Thereafter, the mobile office will be in Manteca on the first and third Friday of each month. The mobile office will be located at the Manteca Chamber of Commerce, 183 W. North St. #6, Manteca.Got something on your mind to share with Congressman Jeff Denham?

This is your opportunity. As our Valley Representative in Congress, Denham is our voice in Washington, D.C. The staff at the mobile office can provide assistance with a variety of services and issues, including Medicare, Veteran's Affairs, Social Security, Internal Revenue Service and matters regarding federal legislation. ✸


Groups and Clubs Annual Meeting

By Dodie Miller, Activities Director

The annual meeting of all Woodbridge group and club

leaders was held last month to coordinate, review and update anything new within established groups and clubs guidelines. This was an opportunity to discuss new forms relating to the membership report, club chairs, officers and reservations for regular meetings and special events held by the groups and clubs for 2014. All of our 28 groups and four charter clubs were well represented and change of chairs or officers was very few from the previous year. The growing list of groups and

clubs follows:BALLROOM DANCINGBOCCE BALLBOOK GROUPBRIDGEBUNCOCHAIR VOLLEYBALLCRIBBAGE

CROCHET, NEEDLEWORK, and KNITTINGDRAMAGAME NIGHTHAND & FOOT CARDSLINE DANCINGMEN OF WOODBRIDGEPICKLEBALLPING PONGPINOCHLEPOKERRADIO CONTROL AIRPLANE FLYERSSECOND CHANCE BANDSENIOR GOLFSTRUMMIN’ WONDERS UKULELESTENNISTRIVIAVETERANSWALKING GROUPWHEELS OF WOODBRIDGEWINE 101WOODBRIDGE SINGERSCHARTER CLUBSARTISTS & CRAFTERSNEIGHBORHOOD WATCHSILVER SLUGGERS SOFTBALLWOMEN OF WOODBRIDGE

If something strikes your interest, come join the group. Woodbridge

groups and clubs are always welcoming new participants.


Non WOA Sanctioned Clubs:

WOA Groups and Clubs:Club,Group Day Time Contact Phone Location

Artists&Crafters Mon/Wed/Sat 9a.m. NedraBall 815-9309 ACRPainters Quilters

Monday2ndFriday

5:30p.m.12:30p.m. ACR

BallroomDance PattiBarnhart 629-8838 MPRBocceBall Sunday 2p.m. CarolePfoutz 239-0387 BBCBookClub 1stWednesday 10:30a.m. ReneéSt.Lawrence 825-7137 CRBridge Monday 11a.m. DonSt.Lawrence 825-7137 CRBunco 3rdMonday 6:30p.m. MaryBraun 239-0409 CRChairVolleyball Tuesday 5p.m. JacquieSteffy 825-4805 MPRCribbage Tuesday 7p.m. DaveSteffy 825-4805 MPRCrochet/Knitting Thursday 10a.m. ReneéSt.Lawrence 825-7137 ACRDance Friday 6p.m. BillGoodwin 823-9767 MPRDrama Thursday 1p.m. AnneMadrid 824-5725 MPRGameNight Fri/Sat 6:30p.m. PatBuxton 239-8663 CRGrandparents ClaudiaWatkins 823-8678 VariesHand&FootCards Wed/Fri/Sun 1p.m. RuthField 229-6977 ACR

Thursday 7p.m. ACRIndoorWalkingClass Mon/Wed/Fri 8:30a.m. JacqueReynolds 629-8508 MPRLineDance PattiBarnhart 629-8838 MPRMenofWoodbridge 2ndMonday 10a.m. TerrellEstes 824-7464 CRNeighborsHelpingNeighbors MonikaHunt 824-7295NeighborhoodWatch BobHall 239-5712 VariesPaddleTennis Monday 6p.m. BobHall 239-5712 TPCPickleball Weekdays 10a.m. RobertPhilis 239-1542 TPC

Mon/Fri 7p.m. CallRobertfortimechangeinfo TPCLadies' Doubles Tue/Thu 8a.m. TPCMen's Doubles Wed 7p.m. TPCPinochle Monday 1p.m. ClaudiaWatkins 823-8678 LVC

Thursday LVCPoker Wednesday 1:30p.m. AlSanchez 239-8235 LVC

Friday 5:30p.m. JoeVictoria 815-9343 LVCRadioControlledFlyers TBA TBA BobUmberger 239-2983SecondChanceBand Varies Varies JohnGreen 239-5256 VariesSeniorGolf Varies Varies RudySalvador 861-1143 VariesStrummin'Wonders Monday 3:30p.m. CarlaMarquardt 624-3754 CR/ACRTennis Sun/Tue/Thu 9a.m. MelTopping 239-8718 TPCTrivia(FunTrivia) 3rdTuesday 7p.m. BobHall 239-5712 CRVeterans 2ndMonday 4p.m. JackDauler 629-8575 MPRWBSoftball SeeSchedule Varies ButchLarsen 824-2062 DWFWheelsofWoodbridge 1stTuesday 10a.m. BillBarnhart 629-8838 CRWine101 Varies 6p.m. JonFord 815-9803 MPRWomenofWoodbridge 3rdWednesday 11a.m. BirdieNieri 634-3779 MPRWoodbridgeSingers AlternateMondays 7p.m. ElizabethCunning 647-4380 MPR

Club Day Time Contact Phone LocationChristianMen Varies MelReynolds 624-3768 Varies55ersRVGroup Varies SueEdmiston 601-9210 VariesIowaGirls Varies Varies ChrisRussell 559-1169 VariesRedHatLadies Varies ClaudiaWatkins 823-8678 VariesSeniorBowling Tuesday 1p.m. BarbaraSilva 824-0262 StrikeZoneWomen'sBibleStudy Friday 1p.m. CarolynJohnson 239-0936 Varies

ACR Arts & Crafts RoomAR Andover RoomBBC Bocce Ball Courts BLDR Billiard Room BR Bristol Room

CR Club Room DK Demo KitchenDWF Del Webb FieldFITC Fitness Center

GPC Golf Putt Course IP Indoor PoolLBRY LibraryLVC Lakeview Club-house

MPR Multipurpose RoomOP Outdoor Pool PATIO Outdoor BBQ & PatioTPC Tennis & Pickelball Courts

PMH Pulte Model HomesPP Panda Park QR Quincy RoomSBP Stockbridge Park

ATTENTION!If you are unable to attend an event for which you made reservations, please call to cancel.

824-7581It is very likely someone is hoping to get a seat.

Resident Ads►LOVING PET SITTING

We have provided over five years of care for Del Webb pets in their homes. Call Don and Margo Dryden at 239-4802.

►PET AND PEOPLE SERVICEFour years exp. with pets and people too.Great ref. available.Call 624-3577 or [email protected].


February Activities

► All regularly scheduled club and group meeting dates and times are listed on page 34. WOA meetings also listed on pages 4-5, 24-25.

March Activities

PMH Pulte Model HomesPP Panda Park QR Quincy RoomSBP Stockbridge Park

February 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2

3 4 5:30 p.m. Understanding Hospice by Optimal Care 5:30pm Understanding Hospice by Optimal Care

5 9 a.m. Wellness Health Fair

6 7 8 5:30 p.m. Pre Valentine’s Day Dinner/Dance 11 a.m. Lodi Wine & Chocolate

9 11 a.m. Lodi Wine & Chocolate

10 11 6:30 p.m. Strummin’ Wonders “Love Songs Sing-Along Concert”

12 12 noon Ladies’ Luncheon 6 p.m. Wine 101

13 14 15 2 p.m. Woodbridge Tea

16 2 p.m. Woodbridge Tea

17 18 19 20 21 22 5:30 p.m. Second Chance Band Dance

23 24 25 5:30 p.m. Potluck Night

26 3 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting

27 9 a.m. New Resident Orientation

28

March 2014

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 6:30 p.m. Mardi Gras Party

2

3

4 6:30 p.m. Thorson Financial Dinner Presentation

5

6

7

8

9

10

11 6:30 p.m. Singing Blue Stars of the USS Hornet

12 6 p.m. Wine 101

13

14

15

16

17 5 p.m. MOW St. Patrick’s Dinner

18 6:30 p.m. Real Estate Forum by The Lori’s

19

20

21

22

23

24

25 5:30 p.m. Potluck Night

26 6 p.m. Board Meeting

27 2 p.m. Speaker Series

28

29

30

31

5 p.m. Mardi Gras Party


Woodbridge Internet PortalBy Roger Cunning

Ourwoodbridge.net, the Internet site residents use to connect and learn about events in our community, also known as our portal, is doing quite well as it ages. It is still in its infancy, but users are enjoying its capabilities. This is a replacement for the Internet portal that was used for several years, but this is a cost savings of thousands of dollars every year. Technically, it is more accurate to refer to it as an Intranet Portal since access is restricted to only individuals who are part of our community.

Our new Portal “went live” or became active for use this past September 20, 2013. We converted some data from the old site and created a facelift for a new look and feel. We also updated the resident directory by merging it with the annually printed directory and now those directories will contain the same information, at least for a short amount of time. New residents arrive weekly, others depart and some make changes to their telephone numbers or email addresses, so the printed directory may become outdated prior to its printing. The printed directory is updated annually and is based on the information entered in

our portal.As of a couple

of weeks ago, a total of 805 different homes or residences are included in our Portal’s directory. Living in those homes, a total of 1,319 individuals or residents are listed. Not all of our 805 homes are online. About two-thirds of them, 524, have someone in that home who has connected to our portal, but 281

homes have yet to connect, thus missing out on knowing about exciting activities within our community. Please encourage your neighbors to join our portal.

Since mid-September 2013, the number of visits to our portal has varied, quite a few at first but then diminishing. Visits to the site began increasing this past Thanksgiving weekend. In fact, the rate of visits really took off after Christmas.

From September through January, the various pages visited shifted from basic information like the Calendar, the General Discussion Group, Resource Center and Announcements to more lifestyle pages such as Classifieds, Can Anyone Recommend, Movie Reviews, Photo Gallery and articles like Dog Leash Requirements and Golf Carts.

Site search terms have also changed over time. Initially, users were searching for items that used to be on the previous portal. But, from mid-November to the current date, searches are also reflective of lifestyle topics: Massages, Water Color, Boutique, Christmas, Golf, Manteca PD Alarm Form, Fan Installers, Tickets for Events, Handyman, Lawyer, Adding Pictures, Swim Hours, Singles and Game-related searches.

It is from the trends in these previous two paragraphs that our Clubhouse staff may consider creating new activities if they believe the desire for them is high. So, please let the staff know if you believe we need an activity that does not currently exist.

Please join our portal if you have not already done so, or revisit if it has been a while since you were last there. It’s constantly changing and you can help make it change for everyone’s enjoyment. Please join! See anyone at the front desk for assistance.

Thorson Financial Estate

Management, Inc. 1101 Standiford Ave., C2

Modesto, CA 95350 www.thorsonfinancial.com

(209 ) 522-0250 Office Thomas K. Thorson, RFC, ChFC®

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Where in the world ?

Send travel photos to [email protected] use highest resolution and type WB TRAVEL in the subject line. All travel photos MUST be submitted electronically.

Wow! Woodbridge LIFE has been circling the globe with our wandering residents! We will do our best to include ALL travel photographs, but space and clarity will dictate. Preference will go to those not featured in previous editions and, yes, to those in exotic locales and interesting photo ops! Send images electronically to [email protected] using high resolution or actual size. Thank you for your contributions. We're happy that you continue to enjoy Woodbridge LIFE. If your picture isn't here, look for it in the coming months and keep sending them in! We are no longer accepting photos at the front desk.

Chris and Larry Russell (with amigo Franco) at Playa Las Gatas, Zihuatanejo, MX.

Harleene Bebout and Robert Philis stand in front of this 190-ton truck tire at the monument dedicated to tractor hauling of borax at the "20 Mule Team Borax" company in Boron, CA.

Ron and Marybeth Saari (left) were visiting Kauai at the same time as Deb and Dave Ristau (right) last month.

Woodbridge WWII Veterans, wives and friends at the Auburn airport meet with Col. Bud Anderson, WWII Triple Ace, a fighter pilot of the famous Old Crow P-51. Col. Jack Furrer flew B-17s. Pictured above l to r: Georgie Furrer, Angel and Helen Navarro, Mario Vernali, Col. Bud Anderson and Col. Jack Furrer.

The city of Auburn has commissioned and dedicated a statue of Col. Bud Anderson which is currently at the Van Howd studios. The city of Auburn is selling bricks to raise money to finish the artist's work. http://www.vanhowd.com/ tells the story. The artist/sculptor was the official artist for the Reagan administration. Pictured l to r in front of the statue of Col. Anderson: Mario Vernali, Col. Jack Furrer, Georgie Furrer, Helen Navarro, Van Hawd and Angel Navarro.

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