Over one hundred students from Redwood Shores and Sandpiper Elementary Schools participated in the golden anniversary celebration of first human space flight at NASA Ames on April 8, 2011. The unique learning opportunity commemorated cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s orbit around Earth on April 12, 1961. Students spent four hours to see over fifty exhibits about aerodynamics, aquaponics, astrobiology, cryogenics, fluorescent spectroscopy, gyroscopes, hyper velocity aircraft design, inflatable planetarium, microbial ecosystems, lunar exploration, nanotechnology, robots, search for life on other planets, search for transiting planets in the Milky Way, rocketry, seismology, space walk, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), superconductivity, etc.
Many students also earned posters of STS 133 the 133rd space shuttle flight and the final flight of Discovery that launched on February 24, 2011 and landed on March 9, 2011 (less than 30 days prior to their visit to NASA Ames). Now that Discovery is retired from service, someday those posters may become a collectors’ item. “Maybe some of these third and fourth graders will become the engineers to design the replacement of the space shuttle or the astronauts on future missions into space,” said Andrew Young, who has been responsible for the initiation of this program.
The Redwood Shores Community Association would like to thank everybody who came out to the 2011 Eggstravaganza in Marlin Park! The weather broke just in time to make for a beautiful day in the park for children and families.
The purpose of wine tasting is to assess its various properties—its appearance, aromas, flavors, and overall structure. That is, to determine what’s it’s all about, if it’s well made and, most importantly, if it’s appealing, and why. And, pretense has nothing to do with it, though some may think so. So, let’s review the steps involved in tasting: See, swirl, sniff, sip, swallow, and savor.
Color is a leading indicator of a wine’s condition, and the goal in the “see step” is to get an inkling of that. If you see brown, there’s trouble ahead. White wines darken when something is wrong or if they’re over the hill, and reds, as they age, lose their color and develop a brownish tinge. For the professional critics there’s much more to be gleaned from the nuances of color, but for the rest of us, just be sure it’s bright and clear.
Swirling, the next step, is a must. It unleashes all those pleasing aromas. If you’re insecure about swirling, practice the motion with some water. A couple swirls will do, this is not a centrifugal force test.
Next, take a couple quick sniffs. No long inhalations, otherwise you’ll fatigue your nasal receptors. So, what do you detect? Wine, you say? But if you detect other goodies like flowers, fruits, herbs, or spices, then you’re closing in on wine descriptors—the terms tasters use to characterize particular grape varieties. Hint: each grape variety has its own unique aromas, and with a little practice, you will quickly learn to distinguish the more popular varietals.
Now take a generous sip. Roll it around to all parts of your tongue. Savor it Some people close their eyes to eliminate visual distractions. Others suck air in over their tongue (think hot soup) to propel aromas into the back of their mouth and into their nasal passages. The point is to go slow and get your taste buds and receptors working. Now swallow and think about it. So, what do you taste? Still wine, eh? But just like in the “sniff step,” if you taste something that mirrors those wine descriptors mentioned above, then you’re well on your way to being a journeyman wine geek.
So, you’ve looked at it, sniffed it, tasted it; now it’s time to opine. Did you like the color, flavor, and aroma? Did it taste too dry, or do you prefer it sweeter? Was that white crisp and lively? And that red, was it fruity and smooth, or coarse and tannic? Would you buy it? And can you tell someone, anyone, why?
Recycling is a wonderful activity. Donating to a non-profit is even better. But if this is just too much hard work after you’ve spent all your energy de-cluttering, why not simply give things away?
Saturday, May 14 is Give Your Stuff Away Day, which means you should be able to place a few unwanted things at the end of your driveway and watch them magically disappear. As the organizers of the event say, this is an easy way to help those in need, keep things out of landfill, and reduce clutter in your home. If you can, pencil in some time a few days before the 14th to identify anything you’d like to wave farewell to.
Check out the website, www.giveyourstuffaway.com for more information and guidelines on acceptable items. You should also plan to take responsibility for removing any leftovers which are not spirited away by eager treasure-hunters.
And a final note of caution: if you don’t intend to give stuff away, this would be a good weekend to make sure bikes, toys and garden tools are not lying around outside your house… someone might get over-enthusiastic and transport them to a new home.
— Pauline Wiles, — Redwood Shores resident and owner, — The English Organizer — www.englishorganizer.com
Airplanes will exit SQL’s Gate N-1 at 09:00, parade down Redwood Shores Parkway with police escort, and be on static display at Sandpiper School all day. They will return to SQL at 16:30 parading in the opposite direction.
After 26 years here, Pat Dixon is leaving Redwood Shores. Most of you know Pat only from her “Swan Lady” column in the PILOT. Pat has been a tireless advocate for this community in her service on many Boards and Commissions in San Mateo County. I cannot say more than was in the Proclamation from the RWC Council honoring her service. A copy is on RSCA.org: Redwood City Honors Pat Dixon
Pat is leaving a big hole in the heart and soul of Redwood Shores.
New System for Taking Police Reports…
Like almost every agency in every city in California, our Police Department is working to find new ways to continue to provide basic services more efficiently, even with declining resources. This means finding ways to free officers from lower-priority tasks so they are available for more important duties.
One plan already in place is a voluntary system that would let you “self-report” minor property crimes without the need to have a police officer tied up taking the report. The criteria are that:
the property crime is not in progress,
the property loss is less than $10,000, and
no suspect information is available.
Examples of crimes that could be self-reported would be petty theft, vandalism, hit & run collisions, and auto burglaries. Again, self-reporting without the need to have a police officer on-site to take the report is entirely voluntary. When you make the report yourself, that report becomes an “official police report” and goes into the police crime reporting system just as if a sworn officer had taken the report. You get a copy of the “official police report” for insurance or other purposes, again, just as if a sworn officer had taken the report.
You still have the option of having an officer come and make the report if you wish. But when you make the report yourself, you free up that officer for other duties. More complete information is available at http://www.redwoodcity.org/police/ . Look for “Report Crime On-Line” in the lower left hand corner.
…and for Seeing Crime Report Activity On-line
One of the comments we received in our winter 60 Second Survey was “ability to know about crime in RWS through some pro-active mechanism”. This is an issue RSCA has raised with RWC Police for the past few years. By the time your read this, you should be able to go to CrimeReports.com and search “Redwood City” to see crime reports for the past month. There are tools to the right that will let you select what type of crimes you want to see on the map.
This is a system that the RWC Police command staff are now using, and you can see that many of our neighboring cities are also using this system. While crime report “media logs” have been available on the RWC Police web site for some time, this new tool is a great step forward in increasing the visibility of criminal & police activity in our City. Kudos to the department for making this information more easily available to the public.
Why We Want Your Email
RSCA is required to notify all Shores residents and businesses of specific events like our Annual Business meeting each year. It costs us at least 45¢ to send a postcard notice, and even more if we need to send a letter. We now have over 5,400 residents and almost 700 business in the Shores, so those mailing costs are significant. It costs us much less an one penny each to send an email notice.
We currently have over 600 Shores residents & businesses on our email list, and we use our email list to make sure you are aware of all our community events during the year. If you would like to be on our email list, simply go to RSCA.org and under “Feedback”, click on the “Join our email list” button to sign up.
OUR PRIVACY POLICY:
Your information is for use only by Redwood Shores Community Association in contacting you. We do not share, sell, or provide our contact list to any other person or organization.
RSCA’s 60 Second Survey
We do appreciate all of you who made time for our “60 Second Survey” of issues affecting the Shores, and we especially appreciated those who took time to offer additional comments. The results were not surprising, with the highest concern naturally being the levee certification, with public safety issues a close second.
One responder had this suggestion: “It would be nice to hear different view points from the pilot. It seem like the same voices say the same message. How about allowing others to voice their opinion, especially since we don’t all think the same way?”
We agree, and we would like to hear from you. If you would be interested in writing a column for the PILOT, either one time or on a regular basis, simply contact me or PILOT Editor Carol Mertens at
Spring flowers are ready to leave their hidey-holes after this wet winter and finally usher in springtime! That means that it’s time for the RSCA’s annual Eggstravaganza, held every year at Marlin Park in the center of Redwood Shores. Bring all your children and a basket for goodies to the park for the big Egg Hunt, where toddlers and young kids can seek out goodies hidden in the grass and playground. Also, the Easter Bunny will be there to lead off the Egg Hunt and later to pose for pictures with the boys and girls, so be sure to take along a camera as well!
Eggstravaganza 2011
April 23 at 1:00 PM
The annual Eggstravaganza takes place in Marlin Park in Redwood Shores (click for directions). Parents should encourage their little ones to bring their own baskets to collect eggs. (Please note a maximum of six eggs per child.) Be sure to also bring a digital camera you would like to get a photo with the Easter Bunny.
Open House is your chance to view the wonderful work your child has completed this school year. The Multi-use Room in the Community Center will display Art in Action from all classrooms. Please remember Open House is not the time for teacher conferences. Our fifth grade students will have their annual bake sale to raise funds for their end-of-year activities. If you are new to the Redwood Shores community, this is your chance to check out the exceptional educational program at Sandpiper School. We hope that you will join us for an evening to celebrate our students’ achievement this year.
WATER, POWER, FOOD … Are You Prepared to be Without … for 7 days?
Now that we have your attention, please join us to learn how you can create a plan to prepare your family if disaster strikes our community.
Redwood City Fire Department personnel, CERT volunteers, and interested Shores neighbors are giving their time to help educate, inform and motivate every resident to be prepared for what we hope will never happen.
Come learn how to create a plan to protect your loved ones and your homes. Hear from Fire Department staff and speak to members of our community about family and neighborhood readiness. Mark your calendar now!
