|
|
| Home |
| About OMVNA |
| Emergency Preparedness |
| Newsletter |
| OMVNAtalk E-mail list |
| Coming Events |
| Meeting Minutes |
| Steering Committee |
| Heritage Homes |
| Links |
| Advertisers |
OMVNA Newsletter
October 2005
Volume 17, Number 7
Are You Ready? Getting Serious about Getting Prepared
From the Chair: Fall Planning Time Is Here
Restaurant Review: Cafe Baklava
Neighbor Profile: 62 Years on Velarde Street
OMVNA Nominating Committee Recommends Candidates for 2006
- Join Us November 14: Monthly meetings are the second Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Chamber of Commerce Board Room, 580 Castro St., and are open to neighborhood residents.
- OMVNA General Meeting November 13,1-3pm at Landels School
- November 8: Consolidated Special Statewide Election. Please go vote!
The next OMVNA General Meeting will be held in November 13 from 1-3 pm and will include information and demonstrations on emergency preparedness from the OMVNA CERT team.
Are You Ready? Getting Serious about Getting Prepared
By Ronit Bryant
Say the Big One has come and gone. There’s no electricity and no running water, cell phones are out, and the stores are all closed. We’re right in the midst of those famous 72 hours — the amount of time we’re supposed to be able to survive without help from the outside.
What shape are you in? Are you using the emergency supplies you prepared (not fun, but enough to get you through)? Are you kicking yourself because you put off getting your supplies organized from year to year (although it was bound to happen one of these days)?
Don’t wait — get prepared now! We’ve all seen, read, and been handed countless lists. The OMVNA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is presenting a workshop to discuss the concrete steps to buy and store emergency supplies. See what your neighbors have actually done, what they’ve prepared, where they’ve stored their supplies. Then hear Lynn Brown of the Mountain View Fire Department critique individual solutions and offer helpful suggestions.
Three neighbors have already volunteered to make presentations, bringing either concrete items or pictures of their systems. But we are a diverse neighborhood, and our living arrangements and needs are different. We’d like to have more people presenting — the more solutions we all see, the better. If you’d like to make a presentation and receive Lynn Brown’s feedback, please contact Ronit Bryant at 964-1966 or ronitb@ix.netcom.com by November 6.
And that’s not all we’ll do at the workshop. We’ll break into groups to discuss particular needs — additional supplies needed by a family with young children, emergency supplies for people with special medical needs, how and where to organize supplies when you are living alone, and how about emergency supplies for our pets?
The workshop will also feature a display of items that are included in many of the emergency supply lists. At the end of the event, these items will be given away in a free drawing. The OMVNA CERT will also accept orders for some of these items. This is NOT a fundraiser, but an effort by CERT volunteers to help our neighbors get ready. If you think you might be interested in ordering some items, bring a check with you.
From the Chair: Fall Planning Time Is Here
By Velva Rowell
That’s right! It’s that time of year again. It’s time for our annual election meeting. This year, we are combining this meeting with a CERT emergency preparedness event that promises to be both educational and fun.
As far as nominations are concerned, I would like to thank Bruce Karney for all of his hard work putting this slate of officers together. As we did this year, we have some new members who have never been OMVNA officers before. It’s great to see new people who want to be involved in this organization.
A few of us will be leaving the board in December to make way for the next group, and I want to take a moment to thank them for their hard work.
Erin Sanders drove the effort to get welcome packets out to our new neighbors which served the dual purpose of making them feel welcome and helping them to connect with this organization early on. Tom Matula ably represented our views to the Downtown Committee as they finished the final stages of the Downtown Precise Plan. I hope that they will continue to be active in the neighborhood, as they are a pleasure to work with.
This will also be my last year on the Steering Committee, as I’ve decided to focus my more time on my family for the next couple of years. All the members of this committee have been very helpful to me both as Newsletter Editor and as Chair. I cherish the friendships that have developed during our time of service.
Please take time out of your schedule on Sunday, November 13th from 1 to 3 to come learn more about emergency preparedness and elect your Steering Committee for next year.
Restaurant Review: Cafe Baklava
by Velva Rowell
Our family has made two trips to Europe in the past six years, and both times we noticed that lifestyles are a bit different there. This difference becomes most evident at the dinner hour, when people are willing to spend hours at the table, not because they are eating a lot of food, but simply for the pleasure of sharing a meal together with friends and family.
Here in the United States, dinner is almost business-like. We eat quickly because we got home late from work and homework needs to be done before bedtime rolls around. Possibly we’re late for a meeting. Whatever the reason, the leisurely dinner does not hold a prominent place in Silicon Valley culture.
This is where Café Baklava comes in. Located at 341 Castro Street between California and Dana, it has some indoor seating and ample outdoor seating. They serve Turkish and Greek food, which is a wonderful addition to the variety of cuisines available on Castro Street. The service is very good, but designed to allow for a leisurely meal. We were glad by the end of the meal that it wasn’t a school night. Fortunately the food was good enough that we wanted to linger over our meal.
I’m not going to pretend that I have an immense amount of experience with Mediterranean cuisine. My knowledge is limited to the contents of a Turkish cookbook that I received as a gift several years ago. I cannot speak to the authenticity of the food, but I will say that the food is all very tasty.
Our appetizer of choice was the fried mussels, which were delicately crispy and very tender. One night we had the lamb shanks which were perfectly braised and wonderfully spicy without too much heat. We also tried two different types of kebabs. Everything that we tried on both our visits was uniformly good, and the grilled meats were delicious, tasting slightly charred. The fresh pita bread that came at the beginning of the meal with a green dipping sauce was lovely.
We were pleasantly surprised by the extensive wine list which included wines from Greece and Turkey as well as California. They had a nice selection of halfsize bottles, which meant that two adults could order a bottle of wine and still drink responsibly without leaving half a bottle of wine at the restaurant. We ended up sharing a half bottle of a lovely Spanish red.
I would like to see this restaurant stay in business, as it is a great addition to Old Mountain View, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a great, leisurely dining experience.
Neighbor Profile: 62 Years on Velarde Street
by Noreen Conrad
Throughout her 62 years of life on Velarde Street, Doss Conser has seen Mountain View undergo countless changes.
When she and her husband moved to their cozy new house in 1943, the sunny and quiet community of Mountain View was home to about 3,700 residents. It was a charming small town in which neighbors knew one another and children, including Doss’s sons Richard and Robert, roamed and played among flowering fruit trees, berry bushes and vegetable gardens. In those days, Doss says, the neighborhood was surrounded by colorful fruit orchards and vibrant farmlands.
While her husband was working on the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, and later at NASA, Doss focused on creating a warm and comforting home for her family.
Always dedicated to her community, Doss has served on the PTA, including a stint as its president, and on the board of the Rengstorff House. She has been a member of the Woman’s Club for 45 years.
Known and loved by her neighbors, Doss has become an honorary grandmother to many in the community.
"I love the neighbors and seeing all the children," Doss said.
She also loves that, despite the changes in the community, she is still able to walk to church, downtown shops, and to the homes of her friends. Walking, she says, is but one of her secrets to staying so young.
When she’s not out and about in the community, visiting neighbors and sharing her infectious good cheer, Doss spends time cooking, writing letters to family, or tending to her colorful garden - a hobby she’s maintained for many years. In her garden, several varieties of flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees, including a fig and orange tree, flourish under Doss’s loving care.
Christmas is an especially busy time for Doss. She bakes numerous batches of delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Christmas cookies from recipes handed down from her grandmother. She is usually the first on the street to put out her Christmas decorations. The lighted Christmas village which she puts out on her mantel is a favorite.
A warm and friendly woman, Doss is one of the neighborhood’s most beloved and cherished residents. With her positive attitude and energy she is an absolute role model to all of us and we are incredibly fortunate to have her as our neighbor.
OMVNA Nominating Committee Recommends Candidates for 2006
Chair — Ken Rosenberg
Vice Chair — Margaret Abe-Koga
Secretary — Meredith Segall
Treasurer — Aaron Grossman
Community Liaison — Kim Copher
At Large — Jamil Shaikh
At Large — Nikol Jackson
CERT Co-Chairs — Aaron Grossman & Carolyn Lutticken
Newsletter Editor — position available
If you are be interested in the position of Newsletter Editor, please contact Bruce Karney at 964-3567
The OMVNA Newsletter
is published by a volunteer editorial committee & distributed to some 2400 homes and businesses by volunteers.
To get in touch with us:
- Write to P.O.Box 391328, Mtn. View, CA 94039
- E-mail the editor editor@omvna.org
- Find us on the Web at http://www.omvna.org
The opinions printed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the OMVNA Steering Committee.