Behind the scenes of Vacation Bible School
Each spring I write a column providing information about Vacation Bible Schools or Day Camps offered by local churches. Some readers have said it’s helpful and that they look forward to reading it in the newspaper. Of course, each program is as different as the congregation sponsoring it, but they have many aspects in common: volunteer workers, hours of planning time, a carefully crafted curriculum and a devotion to sharing God’s love with children from the community.
Summertime and the birth of the eBay blues
For some inexplicable reason, I wax nostalgic in the summer. Perhaps it’s the gentle, warm breezes blowing my bedroom curtains or the far-away drone of a small airplane that brings to mind my childhood back home in Colorado.
4-H is more than just animals
The San Martin 4-H club celebrated a birthday last Saturday night. Peg and I were invited to their party to mark 65 years of youth activities. Most everyone knows about 4-H, but I’ll bet a lot of you don’t know about all the activities this organization has for its members. There’s a lot more than just working with farm animals at the County Fair.
Broaden your horizons, taste something new
Although Chardonnay is the top wine sold in the United States, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, there are thousands of other varietals. In summer, I like to broaden my horizons and try something different from my winter staples.
2 letters: $16 billion in the hole and still the bullet train?; Sensational murder story in local paper?
State in the hole $16 billion and we’re still building a ‘high-speed train to Coalinga’
‘Upright Grand’: Love, frustration and humor
The world premiere of “Upright Grand” by Laura Schellhardt starts the 43rd season of the usual grand theatre that TheatreWorks offers.
The differences in life insurance: a primer
Whether you want to replace your income for your family in the event you should die young or help preserve an inheritance for your heirs, life insurance can serve as the cornerstone of a sound financial plan. It can also serve as a key component of succession planning by protecting a buy-sell agreement or further your charitable giving program.
3 letters: Perchlorate tax goes on too long blues; Economic recovery? Really?; Public transit a bottomless pit for tax dollars
Residents have paid ‘perchlorate tax’ for far too long – what’s the Council going to do?
Ancient site again welcomes pilgrims
Many religions feature pilgrimage as an aspect of practicing the faith. For example, one of the “five pillars of Islam” is to make the “haj,” a ritual visit to Mecca, once during one’s lifetime. In Christianity, pilgrimage has been called a “symbol in action,” representing the journey of the Christian’s life from earth to heaven.
