December 10

THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS OFF to a fine start in Sunol. The Grandmas of the Most Beautiful Babies Club, with help from the Grandpas, of course, have decorated downtown, stocked the Post Office with cookies and cider, and hosted the lighting of the town tree in the Community Park. The weather on Saturday looked foreboding at first, threatening the tree lighting event and "Sunolians Only" Polar Express train ride. By boarding time, though, the rain had stopped, and all were treated to a crisp but comfortable evening.

Among those enjoying the annual Polar Express ride offered to Sunol residents as a thank you from the Pacific Locomotive Association was State Senator Liz Figueroa. With her were her daughter and son-in-law, Ana Lisa and Robert Luippold, and their adorable 18-month-old son, Andrew, as well as Liz's son Aaron Bloom. Though Liz is a tried and true Sunolian now, her children and grandson all live in Sacramento, where we hear Liz spends a lot of her time. That was a joke, folks, as Liz will tell you, she spends just about all of her time there, when not traveling internationally for her humanitarian causes, and wishes she could spend more time in her cozy cabin in Kilkare Woods.

SAVE OUR SUNOL WELCOMED THE HOLIDAY season with a lovely dinner party for 75 members and friends in the Sunol Glen School cafeteria November 29. Cindy Frillman, Jane Murphy, Bonnie Feltrop and Nancy Davis transformed the room with linens, holiday greens and candles, and folksinger Debra Knox added her mellow music to perfect the atmosphere for the gathering. The happily chatting guests enjoyed a wonderful dinner catered by Sunolian Julie Lesher, including spinach salad, pasta primavera and chicken.

As is Save Our Sunol's custom, special guests included several members of the Sunol CDF Fire Station. "We are so grateful for the work you do," SOS President Pat Stillman told the firefighters. "It's an honor to have you here with us tonight." Mary Caspar from Senator Figueroa's office joined us, and another very special guest was San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, who came with his assistant, Bill Barnes. Chris has championed the group's efforts to save Water Temple Field from the long-threatened quarry expansion planned for the pristine land, and has developed a strong affection for our little town.

"I love to come here and be with my friends in Sunol," Chris told the appreciative crowd. "You have taught San Francisco a lot about what it means to be a good neighbor, and that is something we needed." He went on to say that he thinks of Sunol as his second home, then, joked, "Well, maybe it's my third…I think my mom's is probably my second." When Pat asked him if he could tell us that the quarry was not a done deal, Chris replied, "It is not. It far from a done deal." One of the things SOSers love most is the opportunity to applaud good news, and Chris's response was greeted with a rousing cheer.

Thank yous go to Julie and her helpers for the fine repast, and to the clean-up crew which included Diane and Irvin Tiessen, Klaus and Thea Silbermann, Nancy and Greg Davis, Joanne and Michael Freemire and Cindy and Bob Frillman. And of course, a big SOS hand for fearless leader Pat, who personally phoned all of the guests and planned the delightful evening.

DRUMMING REDUX: The Little Brown Church of Sunol will host another drumming workshop Sunday at 6:30 in the sanctuary. The event will be led by Ben Schwarcz, a family therapist by trade, who has been leading drum workshops for several years. The last get-together was a huge success, with almost 30 people in attendance, and word is they had a terrific time, drumming in many different styles from Native American to salsa. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to bring drums and rattles, as well as a personal item to put on a multi-cultural altar as a symbolic spiritual gesture of unity. This is a great way to work off some of the stresses of the season and just let go.