"So what's it gonna take? Silver shadow believer..." -Shiny Toy Guns

Monday, October 29, 2007

Pumpkin Art, Just For You Pumpkin!

Last week while in Copperfields Books, I glanced through their Halloween table, where many books for the big and small relating to the holiday were placed. I came across Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, By Alvin Schwartz and laughed to myself as they were some of my favorite books in junior high. In the front, on a stand was a book by Tom Nardone, called Extreme Pumpkins. Tom is a guy who designs crazy pumpkin carvings and publishes them on his website: http://www.extremepumpkins.com/
The interesting part about all this is that I wrote about him while in college. I contacted him last year while writing a story for The Star on the art of pumpkin carving, I entitled it, "Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo! What Will Your Pumpkin Do?" I was proud of this particular piece- I really liked how it turned out; in re-reading it I remembered that I had written about the traffic slowing on 101 because of Petaluma's pumpkin patch. Which is still a real pisser; you live in an agricultural community people- it's not the first field you have seen with corn and hay?
In any case, I found it quite coincidental I would come across his book almost one year to the day following my article. He was very nice guy and I feel special that I got a chance to interview him; especially, now that he is an author. According to the website he wrote the book in early 2007. Congratulations to Tom. If you are carving this year you should check out his stuff.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Take a Walk on Memory's Side

The Memory Walk is less than 5 days away...
"What is The Memory Walk," you ask? A stroll down Memory Lane spent reminiscing about your first love? Is it a flash in your minds eye of your newborn child, who is now all grown up? Or the thought of your first major accomplishment or promotion? Not quite. But, it is an event that supports the preservation of such memories.
The Memory Walk is an Alzheimer's Association event that raises awareness and money to support the ongoing research of the disease and care for those it affects. The walk is held in more than 600 communities and is designed to help fight against the awful and debilitating disease.
"A memory is all we have," is one of my favorite sayings and is true in so many ways. Our ability to survive in this life is based on the things we've learned from it. But if you can't remember these tactics, how will you ever be able to continue? This walk supports just that: basic survival, the research of treatments and possible cures, and the assistance to those currently living with the disease.
I did the walk about two years ago to support my friend's Aunt Patt who has Alzheimer’s; while the disease is not a stranger in my family either, my grandma on my dad's side and two of my great aunts are suffers. It's pretty safe to say that everyone knows at least one person affected by the damaging disease. The walk is a deserving cause and a true two-for-one: get your exercise while striving to make a difference in your community.

This Saturday, October 13th, please join "Patt and her Posse" of family and friends, at Spring Lake Park, in Santa Rosa, CA for the annual Wine Country Memory Walk.

The event information is as follows:
Registration Area Opens 10/13/2007 9:00-10:00 am
Warm-up Festivities 10/13/2007 9:30-10:00 am
Memory Walk Begins! 10/13/2007 10:00-11:00 am
Program, Tribute and Raffle 10/13/2007 11:15-12:00 pm

*Funds raised at the Memory Walk will support research that is on the brink of promising new treatments to slow and prevent Alzheimer’s and local programs to improve the lives of those individuals living with the disease. If for some reason you cannot make it to the walk, you can still make a donation.
To find out how please go to this link: http://memorywalk.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=226273&u=226273-101415948&e=1291922549
and visit Patt's web page to help in the efforts to support the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California and Northern Nevada.

If you don't live in Northern California but, would like to find a walk to join in your area, please visit: http://www.alz.org/memorywalk/