Cover Story
Crush Course
It all gelled for me sometime in the middle of week four, right at the end of September. I was clamping hundreds of feet of hoses together, from which thousands of pounds of grapes would soon flow. It was the first chilly morning of fall—that Paso Robles inland cold that requires several layers of clothing—and…
Chamisal Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay Califa
Cuisine followers know my preference for stainless steel Chardonnays, particularly this winery’s version (formerly Domaine Alfred). Yet I found winemaker Fintan “Fin” du Fresne’s reserve Chard amazing. The texture and flavors of this vintage of Califa are so elegant and beautifully balanced, I couldn’t resist this delightful white. It offers pretty ripe-pear and citrus notes…
Geyser Peak 2008 Sauvignon Blanc California
This value-priced wine is quite tasty and it holds true to its classic varietal flavors. It offers zippy notes of lemon, lime, and pink grapefruit in a well-balanced wine that’s easy sipping on its own. A great choice for Mexican and Asian dishes, main dish salads with chicken or prawns, and a good choice for…
Wines for the holidays
I love the winter holiday season when most of our celebrations with family and friends are centered at the dining room table, where we spoil ourselves with comforting foods and excellent wines. My husband Dan Hardesty and I always pull our best wines from the cellar to share at dinner, and it’s always fun figuring…
Have a punk rock Xmas formal!
They could have gone anywhere to hold their annual Xmas Formal, but punk rock legends The Vandals chose Downtown Brew. Don your best duds, get in the Christmas spirit, and hit the Brew on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. “As you know, a Vandals show is an event in and of itself, but this…
Paintings, paintings on a wall, who’s the ugliest of them all?
You shouldn’t buy a pig in a poke. Why? Because a poke is a sack, and if you don’t look in the sack first, you might get home to find you’ve purchased a feral, one-eyed, three-legged kitten with abscessed sores and rabies. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. You can tell a horse’s…
No art so fine
In February Ellyn Winslow’s SLO Favorite Poems Project will celebrate its one-year anniversary with a second love-themed poetry reading at the Steynberg Gallery. But before that can happen lovers of poetry have the opportunity to read their favorite nature poem—written by someone else, of course—on Dec. 6. And, on Jan. 3, the topic is science.…
Widgets and whackos
Welcome to 1963. If you’re a man, all your dreams have come true. If you’re a woman, good luck. The SLO Little Theatre’s giving lessons on How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, through Dec. 20, at least. And Natalia Berryman, making her directorial debut at the Little Theatre, is well suited to the…
Straight to the top
Ian Smalley, George Beckham, and Alan Best never envisioned themselves as powerlifters three years ago. “When we were in high school, I don’t think anyone of us would have thought about starting a sport like powerlifting, and now we hold world championship titles.” The three local athletes just returned from the World Powerlifting Federation World…
Post-holiday jeers
So Barack Obama is sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. When the president made the announcement, I could hear all the George W. Bush supporters smirking. But then Obama said he’d start bringing them home in 18 months, and the pundits with their punditry drowned out the sound of anything else. It’s not Iran, they…
Sunny Acres works
I have devoted the past several months volunteering at Sunny Acres and coordinating certain aspects of the program there, and would like to share what I have learned by being on site and talking with Dan De Vaul as well as many of the residents (formerly homeless) who live there. Sunny Acres has been in…
If Abel goes, who will take his place?
The Central Coast is on track to have one of its own in statewide office. On Nov. 23, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named State Senator and former Santa Maria mayor Abel Maldonado as lieutenant governor. As of press time, his confirmation by the Legislature was still pending. “I’m honored to take on the position of lieutenant…
What’s the hurry?
Critics accuse Pacific Gas and Electric Company of trying to bypass crucial state oversight by applying to renew the operating licenses for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant many years in advance of the deadlines. Not only consumer and safety watchdog groups question the move but also the state’s main agency for energy policy. PG&E…
SLO city hires new manager
The City of San Luis Obispo has hired a new manager, Katie Lichtig, who’s currently an assistant city manager for Beverly Hills, to replace manager Ken Hampian who will retire. The City Council sifted through more than a hundred applicants to fill the position. Lichtig previously worked for the City of Santa Monica and was…
San Luis Obispo County gears up for floods
SLO County water officials need a temporary patch job to keep the Arroyo Grande Creek from flooding. The existing levee management and flood protection plans for the creek have expired, and while long-term plans are in place, the county has a temporary emergency plan to hopefully prevent the creek from flooding in the coming rainy…
Should the military draft resume?
Lacey Melzer Salvation Army volunteer “No. I don’t think people who don’t want to go to war should be forced to.” Ed Bost retired “No. Right now we have volunteers and that’s all right with me.” Beverly Willick retire “Yes, because we’re getting into more problems all the time with these wars.” Shawn Ceschini salesman…
Carrizo Plain gets a new plan
A long-awaited plan for taking care of the Carrizo Plain National Monument is now available from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The “Proposed Resource Management Plan” takes a middle ground between a “hands-off” approach and a more intensive management and restoration program. Years in the making, the plan is a collaborative effort by the…
To dredge or not to dredge?
SLO City Council members have a few unanswered questions about Laguna Lake. Among the most pressing questions that need answering are whether it’s worth the cost to give the lake a metaphoric liposuction, and if it is, who’s going to pay for it? “I think that we do need to engage the community,” Councilwoman Jan…
SLO city cracks down on smoking – again
Nearly two decades after San Luis Obispo became the first city to prohibit smoking in public establishments, “Phase One” of a city wide outdoor public smoking ban is now underway. The San Luis Obispo City Council on Dec. 1 unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s municipal code to ban all forms of tobacco products…
An Unofficial Art After Dark
Art After Dark isn’t happening in December, but you can still get your fill of art at these venues: Anam-Cre’ Pottery Studio: 570 Higuera #140 (SLO Creamery) 544-1850. Classes for children and adults. apRoberts Arts: 570 Higuera #152 (SLO Creamery) 234-506. Jimmy apRoberts and Brian Christopher work in a collaborative nature. ARTS Space Obispo: 570…
Sgt. John Bushmann
NEW TIMES: Since we can’t ask about Afghanistan, how are recruitment numbers these days? BUSHMANN: Oh very good, very good. As far as the actual numbers per, let me get my little thing out here. As of November, we had a goal for the month of 6,858 and we’ve recruited 6,916—so that’s just over 100…
No offense intended
Without meaning to in my commentary (“We need library professionals now more than ever,” Nov. 19) I seem to have insulted Frank Mecham and his efforts in his current office (“Improving our libraries is imperative,” Nov. 26). I did not intend to insult him and want to point out a couple of things. I acknowledge…
It may not be perfect but it’s a home
Christine Mullholland is a decent and compassionate woman. She want homeless people housed in clean, code conforming buildings. She is opposed to their living at the DeVaul ranch because accommodations there are substandard. And finally, she supports the “many programs that address the needs of the poor among us” (“Everone deserves clean and safe housing,”…
Fee increase is unfair
In my many, many years of teaching in the Political Science Department at Cal Poly I have emphasized the all-important need for participation, both on and off campus. Two-way communication is the life-blood of a civil society, whether in education or any other facet of life; in no dimension of life is this more important…
Speak out for health care
Health care should not be a business for profit. Health should be a right. No person should suffer because they are too poor to afford treatment. All women should have the right of abortion. It is odd some politicians would take away this right but do not want to support families (even a family of…
Make nice
As the political rhetoric heats up, both the left and the right go toe-to-toe trying to denounce the other in their quest for political dominance. It’s quite apparent that neither side is truly listening to or trying to understand the other. Forgive me, if I’m not impressed. Isn’t it just possible that both parties’ perspectives…
Uncle Sam plays it again
I am greatly disappointed in President Obama. The additional troops he’s called up won’t get rid of the terrorists. More of our soldiers will senselessly lose their lives and limbs. He undoubtedly is taking this position to he win reelection, because his doesn’t want to be known as being soft on terrorists, which is very,…
Violence in downtown SLO is no mystery
Regarding Colin Rigley’s article “Big trouble in little SLO” (Nov. 26), which addressed the spike in violent assaults downtown: What does he mean “No one has answers?”, “there’s no explanation?”, “it’s kind of weird?” “Blip?” Come on, my daughter lives upstairs across the street where the 15-year-old girl was struck and we were out walking in the…
Give the man a medal
If you had a “Letter Of The Month” award, Richard Schmidt would deserve it for his comments on the appalling indifference of the Tribune toward the city’s blatantly corrupt sale of public land (“Forget it, Jake: It’s Chinatown,” Nov. 26).
De Vaul should run for supervisor
I heard that Dan De Vaul will be on Good Morning America as well as the Larry King Show. Its about time the crooked good ol’ boy system we have in our local government, which includes but is not limited to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, the district attorney’s office, and yes…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. Mon. and Tues.: Louie Ortega. Fri: Live music. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO:…
