Columns

Glorious miniature cactus

Nancy Schramm is the third generation owner of Carman's Nursery. She and her husband have lived in Gilroy for more than 30 years. Contact her at 408.847.22313 or visit www.carmansnursery.com
Nancy Schramm
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Ouch! That is my first thought when someone says “cactus”. But somehow a miniature cactus with glorious orange flowers has stolen my heart. Botanists call it Echinopsis chamaecereus or E. silvestrii, but most folks prefer the fun, common name “peanut cactus”. Research [...]

Midsummer rides and getaways

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August used to be the second month of summer; nowadays, it’s the month when many schools start! Your kids and grandkids may only have a few more weeks of freedom, so enjoy the last summer rides together while you can. Oh, and prep the locks, then start exploring and practicing [...]

Beating the heat

Cheryl Huguenor is the program director at Live Oak Adult Day Services in Gilroy. For more information visit liveoakadultdaycare.org.
Cheryl Huguenor
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Here at Live Oak Adult day Services, we recently read aloud a page of fun facts about the various inventions of the 1900s. We were all amazed to learn that air conditioning was invented in 1902. I was not the only one here who wondered why on earth we sweltered through the [...]

Battle of the beach

Ron Erskine is a local outdoors columnist and avid hiker.
Ron Erskine
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Long before Martin’s Beach was a battleground pitting a landowner’s purported property rights against the peoples’ right to coastal access, it was simply a destination for surfers and beachgoers. I knew of Martin’s Beach before it became a regular news item, but I had [...]

Whitewater runoff

Ron Erskine is a local outdoors columnist and avid hiker.
Ron Erskine
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Plentiful winter rains bring a spring of singular delights: energized creeks, top shelf wildflower displays and green hills that persist through April. As wonderful as our lowland spring has been, it is quaint and timid compared to the cirque du soleil of water shows in Yosemite [...]

In the air

Bev Stenehjem is a wine columnist for South Valley Magazine and is the author of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, Arcadia Publishing. Bev also promotes the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley association on Facebook and Twitter. Reach her at [email protected].
Bev Stenehjem
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At 104 years, Morgan Hill Cellars is the oldest winery in our Santa Clara Valley wine region. I stopped in to say hello to Maryclaire and Mike Sampognaro, high tech retirees and owners of the winery to see what was new since my last visit. Maryclaire started me off with their [...]

A 360 degree seaview

Ron Erskine is a local outdoors columnist and avid hiker.
Ron Erskine
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Here is a bit of trivia perfect for a bar bet that will surely win you a free round: From what Bay Area mountain top do you overlook seawater no matter which direction you face? In my footloose single days many years ago when the earth was still mostly molten lava, I lived in a [...]

Musical Pairing

Bev Stenehjem is a wine columnist for South Valley Magazine and is the author of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, Arcadia Publishing. Bev also promotes the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley association on Facebook and Twitter. Reach her at [email protected].
Bev Stenehjem
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Wine and music make a beautiful pairing! Here are the free (with wine purchase) concert series throughout the summer: Wednesdays, 5:30-8:30pm: Guglielmo Winery presents its Vines and Vibes concert series from May through August with a June lineup that includes the Alison Sharino [...]

Desert Bloom

Ron Erskine is a local outdoors columnist and avid hiker.
Ron Erskine
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After five years of drought, winter rains doused the southern California deserts this past winter. The result has been a desert wildflower super bloom that has made national news. On average, a special desert spring like this occurs about every ten years. Friends who have made [...]

Probiotic powerhouse

Emanuel Lee is an avid runner and the Sports Editor for the Hollister Free Lance.
Emanuel Lee
In the last several years, yogurt has risen to the forefront as a trendy health food. And for good reason. Yogurt provides belly-filling protein, is loaded with bone-building calcium and the good bacteria in yogurt helps maintain gut health. The latter is especially important [...]
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