FRIENDS HAVE ROOTS

We all have had friends who have come into our lives very quickly and seemed to leave with the same vigor. And then there is the friend who is the constant. It is easy to be a friend when life is filled with niceties and fluff. But a true friend is the one who will be there to help you off of the ground when you have fallen. The severity of the fall may drive the transient friend away, while the real friend will not only help you up, but will also place a caring arm on your shoulder with a warm embrace after the fall. True friends do not attempt to make you feel better looking for a pay back of any kind. They are just genuine and enjoy helping you. The transient friends are just that, they come and they go. I have had both types of friends in my life. Both have brought me joy and meaning, but it is the constant friend who is always there. The true friend is a tree that has developed deep roots into the ground. The true friend grows strong through the years with watering, sunlight and care that can only be developed over time.

NEVADA CITY - HIGH

Photo courtesy of Joe Anderson

                                                High wheeling

TRAVEL BASEBALL RESEMBLES LIFE

While travel baseball can be expensive and  time consuming, it does offer a player many life benefits. 


We could not find a travel team for our son to play for in Nevada County, so he plays for a team in Lincoln. His team is filled with really great players, supportive families and knowledgeable coaches. Many of which come from different ethnic backgrounds, cities, as well as socioeconomic environments. Therefore travel ball could be said to resembles life.


My son is required to work hard to earn a spot on the roster. He is required to learning how to make friends with other players he does not go to school with and is asked to fit in with the team. Again this is life.


Something playing travel ball does not guarantee is a career in the big leagues, nor does it assure the reward of a college scholarship, and not even a spot in a high school dugout for that matter. 

There's no denying that travel ball is the main vehicle to get to the college level. Weekend travel tournaments at times do resemble college showcases. However, a player’s participation and a college coach’s appearance doesn't guarantee a scholarship. It does give a player the opportunity to be seen, therefore having a chance if the player has what it takes.

There are two guarantees when your child plays travel ball. The first, you will have very little time on the weekends and holidays as well as you may need to take on a second job to pay for it. In turn, parents often demand a return on this investment, namely, a Division I college scholarship. But there are only so many ways 11.7 full scholarships (the allotment the NCAA gives baseball programs) can be cut up and passed out. That equates to 46 percent scholarship players on a 25-man college roster. 

If the travel baseball experience does not produces an opportunity to play high school, college and/or professional baseball, families should regard the experience as more than just about baseball and not be disappointed if their child doesn't receive a college scholarship. The ability to develop their child as an athlete and especially as a person, should not be minimized.


The travel ball experience can help prepare kids for life's challenges.

DISK GOLF NEWS

• 

  Sky Catz Meeting May 24, 2012

  One of the highlights of the meeting was when Brian Costa formally recognized Kathy Collins’ spectacular final round at last weekend’s PDGA NT Event: 27th Annual "Steady" Ed Memorial Masters Cup. Kathy shot a final round score of 82 (1 over par, 999 rated round, over a 27 hole championship course layout)! This duly represents the kind of active club members we have and are very grateful for their contributions. People like Kathy help to fuel our passion for the sport and give purpose to the volunteering of our time. We love disc golf and understand that it takes a community effort to make it possible.
  
  

  To-Do List for this month:
  
  
  

  • Post Registration forms for the Flipper Memorial doubles tournament scheduled for June 16th
  • Put a call out for volunteers at the Bring the Heat tournament in PV this weekend. The “end of day duties” need the most support.
  • Issue reimbursement for bench fixes planned in PV
  • Post a formal weekly tournament flyer titled “Gold Country Weekly Circuit”
  • Post a list of current Sky Catz members
  • Print and post Sky Catz Membership Forms at the parks
  • Vote on proposed club charter amendments
  • New Pin Placements in GV – convert rough notes into a formal proposal
  • Schedule a face to face Sky Catz meeting with GV’s Parks & Rec Board of Directors
  • Reschedule the face to face Sky Catz meeting with PV’s Parks & Rec Board of Directors
  • Start research on making Sky Catz a non-profit, allowing us to write for grants and gain other benefits
  • Organize/update all Sky Catz member contact information into one central database. Privacy rights will be implemented.
  • Finalize Sky Catz webpage logistic needed before fully activating the website.
  • Sell Sky Catz bag tags at weeklies.
  • Hold a special tournament meeting on June 14th for the upcoming Flipper Memorial Doubles Tournament.
  • Order more club mini discs

  News:

  • Don Harris will be heavily supporting Kerry Eldridge with his Sergeant in Arms duties in Penn Valley (including running weeklies with Jere Eshelmen and moving baskets).
  • Weekly tournament: Rates of $8 where discussed. $5 goes to payout, $2 goes ace pool, $1 goes to Sky Catz club, $1 discount for active Sky Catz Members. We also discussed topping out the ace pool at $250. This will allow for additional ace pools to grow if the first ace pot is not hit; meaning we will have the potential for multiple $250 ace pots!! We also discussed plans to keep a written log of who attends and who gets paid (Don Harris already started doing this in PV).
  • Maintenance Agreement between Sky Catz and GV Parks & Rec: Our President, Shaun Long, has successfully finalized and signed off on a formal agreement that saves our club hundreds of dollars in event fees and new course signs (special thanks to Mike Woodman and Bruce Hinson for their work on this too). In addition, we have a formal process in place for submitting course modifications. Sky Catz gratefully respects these agreed upon rules and will make every effort to gain formal approvals. This will ultimately help fosters a close working relationship with the Parks & Rec to ensure a positive future for our sport within this shared community.
  • Motherload Financial Recap: While Sky Catz is not responsible for the finances of many tournaments in our area, volunteering support from members is key. Sky Catz will help by focusing more resources towards sponsorship for next year’s events because we learned that Mr. Michael Travers (TD) had to pay an additional $457 of his own money to cover the Motherlode expenses this year. We can help change this for next year!

  
  

  Items still on the Wish List for future months (on going):

  • Putting League
  • Penn Valley: permanent OB lines, filling ponds to be a reasonable depth to retrieve discs, perform minor repairs and upkeep
  • Grass Valley: tee pad repair, minor upkeep, handicap accessibility, new tee signs, course safety strategies
  • Porta-potty on hole 12 for future GV tournaments
  • Make Sky Catz a non-profit
  • Make the Flipper Memorial a PDGA sanctioned event for 2013
  • 
    

  
  

  Next Sky Catz Meeting:

  Thursday, June 28th at 6:00pm

NEVADA COUNTY HOME PRICES

The information below states Alta Sierra, South County and Lake of the Pines could have a little over three months of housing inventory at the current sales pace. Many of the sold properties listed below are short sales and the prices were negotiated at 2011 prices, due to the nature of the short sale process. Many short sale sales can take up to eight months to close. The point is, inventory is drying up and prices are beginning to firm and when prices begin to rise, there less property that becomes available. The national media has done a poor job in getting the word out to the consumer of this new fact. The spring/summer home selling season is just getting under way and with the current inventory beginning to become tight we could see fewer REOs as well as short sales moving into the market. It might be a great time to buy, as interest rates are near historic lows and there are many buyers who may qualify to buy a home with as little as 3% down.

I have an article click here which discusses the greater Sacramento area as well as many other regions of the country. It states investors are beginning to purchase in beaten down areas looking for a deal. Click here for an article on the indicators that home prices will move higher.

If you are thinking about selling, but you are upside down in your current mortgage, your time is running out to take advantage of the current tax breaks. Now could be the time to sell into the strength of the market. Once the colder wet weather returns the buying volume tends to slow.

Current inventory snap shot

Listed below is a list of all single family homes currently on the market as of 5/8/2012 within Alta Sierra, South County and Lake of the Pines.

Class	Bedrooms	Current Active	Avg List Price	Avg DOM
All	All	127	$411,118	134
RE	All	127	$411,118	134
RE	0-1	0	$0	0
RE	2	20	$284,235	165
RE	3	77	$396,398	131
RE	4	24	$488,825	122
RE	5+	6	$712,150	110
LD	All	0	$0	0

Solds

Listed below are the sales of homes from Jan 2012 to May 8, also within Alta Sierra, South County as well as Lake of the Pines.

Class	Bedrooms	Total Listed	Num Sold	Pct Sold	Avg List Price Sold	Avg Sale Price Sold	Sale Price/List Price Ratio	Avg DOM Sold	Avg List Price Unsold	Pct Expired
All	All	149	95	63.76%	$277,515	$265,671	95.73%	124	$342,265	14.09%
RE	All	149	95	63.76%	$277,515	$265,671	95.73%	124	$342,265	14.09%
RE	0-1	0	2	0.00%	$174,700	$156,000	89.30%	365	$0	0.00%
RE	2	20	5	25.00%	$185,340	$171,800	92.69%	75	$218,643	10.00%
RE	3	98	73	74.49%	$258,717	$247,202	95.55%	107	$309,169	14.29%
RE	4	26	14	53.85%	$419,750	$406,642	96.88%	195	$414,347	19.23%
RE	5+	5	1	20.00%	$325,000	$329,000	101.23%	151	$1,071,333	0

Scott Hopper - Realtor 530.477.2277

BEAR RIVER LITTLE LEAGUE 5/7/2012

The Bear River Dodgers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning behind starting pitcher Justin Kilgore while hosting the Nevada City Red Sox Monday night. The Giants kept up their run production scoring six more in the second while giving none to the visitors. Nevada City used three pitchers to get them through the first two frames. Kilgore was pulled after 35 pitches as he gave up a lead off walk to start the third. He was relieved by Megan McShane who gave up four hits and two walks to move the score to 11-6. Manager Scott Kilgore called on Jake Rogers to take over for McShane with two outs. Rogers walked a batter and gave up a singles to the first two batters he faced. The six run third ended when the Bear River catcher Logan Jenkins tagged out a Red Sox base runner who was looking to advance to score on a wild pitch. The Giants scored their final run of the contest when Reid Zoldan singled in Clay Corripo who walked in the fourth. Nevada City showed they had fight left in them in the top of the sixth, Rogers walked two and hit a batter to load the bases. The Sox hit a single to score two and again Rogers loaded the bases with a walk. He proceeded to walk the next batter which scored the games final run. The game ended on a bases loaded unassisted ground out to Jenkins who was moved to first base for a final score of 12-9.

The Giants are back in action on Wednesday when they host the Nevada City Angels at 7.

DATE NIGHT IN NEVADA COUNTY #2 - MOLLUSCAN, SNAILS AS FARE

Snails are an odd menu item in this parts of the woods, that is a guarantee. If you are in France I would I would expect to see them, but in Nevada City? Well let me tell you, yes they are. Friar Tucks in Nevada City is a landmark eatery will change your mind of that thought. If you have never eaten a members of the molluscan family then I will start you off by asking a series of questions. Do you like butter? Do you love garlic? Then this little animal might be right for you. I have had them many times while living in Los Angeles as well as a few times at the restaurant that can be found at 111 N Pine St. Nevada City, CA 95959 (530) 265-9093, which is known for it's fondu. Reservations are recommended. Now back to the critter in the shell. The texture is much like tender squid and a little chewy but with the butter and garlic they are down right incredible. They are often on the menu but be sure to find out if they are in season as I have been there when they are a little tougher and it would not be the best time to try them for you. The ambiance of the room is very good. My wife and I like to sit in the bar area where you will often find live music after 6 p.m. by one of the many local musicians. The bar offers many types of beer, many local wines as well as from all over the world. It also offers absinthe. It is not of the Vincent Van Gogh seeing green men variety but you may need something this strong to work up the nerve to eat a critter that is often thought to be a bug.

BEAR RIVER LITTLE LEAGUE 5/02/2012

BR keeps streak alive

The Bear River major Angels traveled to Nevada City's Pioneer Park on Wednesday night where they put their seven game win streak on the line. They dropped the NC Angels 6-3 to push their streak to eight games.  BR Angels manager Sean Solomon gave the ball to David Fenton who stood on the hill for three innings of play and gave up two runs in the first to earn the win. Nevada City manager Dennis Houlihan called on Justin Houlihan who pitched well for five innings until he hit his maximum pitch count. BR broke the game open on a two out bases loaded single by Dean Hopper in the top of the fourth to move the score to 5-2. Scott Sandstedt had two doubles and Jordan Elliott hit a one hopper off the left field fence. Mason Giordano and Dylan Sinclair also singled for the BR Angels. Fenton was relieved by Ryan Solomon and Sandstedt closed out the game. Owen Dalbon played a strong game from behind the plate for Bear River.

NC Angels were coming off a 15-5 victory over the Penn Valley White Sox on April 28 and their league website has them listed at 3-3 after falling in tonight's contest.

The BR Angels will host the Penn Valley Giants at 1 p.m. and the Nevada City Angles will host the Penn Valley Padres at Pioneer Park at 4 p.m. both games are on Saturday.

Bear River Dodgers blank Penn Valley White Sox

The Dodgers starting pitcher Josiah Cregar pitched two innings giving up one hit in the 4-0 win. Cregar was relieved by Bradley Dzioba who went three and two thirds allowing three White Sox hits and Harry Zea closed the door for the shutout. Leading Bear River at the plate was Trea Nix who got two hits including a double, Austin Baze and Jaden Gravatt also doubled while Cregar went one for three.

The Dodgers take on the Bear River Giants on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the battle for second place of the Bear River teams. In their first match up the game went 10 innings and went to the Dodgers 3-2.

Bear River Yankees hosted the Sierra Foothill Giants

In minors action the BR Yankees had very little trouble with the visiting Giants. BR manager Dave Rogers called on Colton Jenkins who delivered on the mound in the 12-2 victory. Jenkins pitched three of the games four innings giving up one run while striking out five. Brekyn Vasquez closed out the final inning with two strike outs and gave up one run.

Leading hitters for the Yankees were Justin Powell and Ryan Olsen with doubles and Jenkins, Vasquez Braden Fowler, Michael Carreon, Damien Christen and Blaine Rogers all hit safely for the Yankees.

The BR Yankees will be back in action on Saturday at 3 p.m. when they travel to Applegate Ball park to take on the Yankees of the Sierra Foothill League.

BASS FISHING AND THE MOON

6.5 pound large mouth bass

When the local lakes' water temperature hits 60 degrees something magical happens. Male Large mouth as well as Spotted bass move into shallow water to spawn. Male fish (three to five pound weight class) will fan an area with their tails removing the loose debris . They are creating a bed for the often larger females ( five plus pounds) to lay her eggs. While the male is fanning the female will be staged in a little deeper water hiding within some type of structure until the time is right. What triggers the spawning female that the time is right? Through my 40 plus years of bass fishing, I can share with you with confidence it is the full moon. The first weekend in May (5th, 6th and 7th) will be peak spawning season as this is the first time in 2012 where the water temperature is 60 degrees under a full moon. You will want to work the shoreline with plugs, spinners or plastic worms. I prefer to walk along the banks than to fish from a boat.

 When you see a bed (small circular indentation) there will be fish near by. The spawning bass are not actively feed, but they will strike anything that is endangering it's offspring. Cast past the bed and bring it back towards towards you let in sink into the center of the bed and leave it there. The bass will pick it up in their mouth and try to spit it out away from the bed. This is when you set the hook. Make sure your drag is set fairly lose as the bass is going to make a fast aggressive run in an attempt to free itself.  If you are lucky enough to land a large female who is on her bed please do not keep it. Your trophy of a lifetime is the life's blood to future generations of fish and fisherman.

DEAD BATTERY IN NEVADA COUNTY

When your car's battery goes dead, you have just a few options to get that hunk of metal rolling again. If you own a manual transmission car, then what is know as "popping the clutch" will almost always get you on your way again. That is if you can push 3000 pounds or if you are lucky enough to be stalled on a hill. Calling AAA is always the best option with an automatic transmission, but if you are not one of the 50 million customers the company claims to have then you will need to flag someone down to help jump start your car, if you have jumper cables. If you don't own them, I would recommend picking them up at Riebe's Napa Auto Parts in Grass Valley near the round-a-bout on Idaho-Maryland Rd. or on Searls St. in Nevada City. So let say you have the cables and you have a willing jumper. You will want to open the hoods to both vehicles and locate the batteries. Once you have navigated where the hood release is, make sure the cables are long enough to reach both batteries at the same time. Once you are ready to make the connections, always connect to the dead battery first and be sure to connect the red handle to the positive post (+) on the battery and the negative (-) with the black handle. Once you have your vehicle hooked up, be sure to do the same thing to the car that is currently running. Once your connections have been made, try to start the dead car. It should start right away. Be sure to drive the newly started vehicle to give your alternator (the cars internal battery charger) time to fully recharge the battery or you may find yourself stranded again. The idea of revving the running car to enhance the power transferred to the dead battery has very little merit. If the vehicle does not start right away you most likely have a bigger issue on your hands. Call Fischer Towing 647 E Main St, Grass Valley, CA 95945 (530) 273-3180. They are a good group of drivers, who are courteous and conscientious. Have them tow you to Gin's Little Valley Auto Care 15898 Little Valley Rd. Grass Valley (530) 477-7880 . Duke is a great mechanic for those of you who are not afraid to go to a non-dealer environment. If a dealer is what you are most comfortable with, Grass Valley and Nevada City are not the places to have car troubles. 

DATE NIGHT IN NEVADA COUNTY #1 - SUSHI

Many locals and tourists alike may find themselves on Broad Street in Nevada City around dinner time feeling hungry. But without a plan or a clear direction, you will begin to play tennis with your companions, and it goes something like this: "Where do you want to go?" They will reply, "I don't know, where do you want to go?" "What do you feel like eating?" and so on. Once the match has everyone exhausted, one person in the group will say, "Let's walk around and see what jumps out at us." The more you walk, the more hungry you become and in Nevada City your choices are endless, so without clear direction you may be lost. My favorite spot in our quaint mining town will most likely will be off limits to you at that very moment, but it is worth a shot and very much worth the wait. Sushi in the Raw (315 Spring St. Nevada City, CA 95959 (530) 478-9503) is my favorite sushi house in Nevada County. There is usually long wait, so make a reservation. Especially if you are not reading this at the corner of Broad and Pine looking for a place to eat within the next 10 minutes. Yes it costs more that other options within walking distance, but it does offer something you will find very special. If you are in from out of town or a local without a reservation, good luck overturning this hidden gem. You will often need a reservation more than 3 days in advance to experience one of Nevada City's culinary delights. If you have a special evening coming up and can plan well in advance, call Sushi in the Raw and ask to sit at Rue's back bar. This is where you will be delighted by the owner who is a sushi artist. He will undoubtedly create a masterpiece for you. The back bar has seating for only four customers and is not part of the general restaurant. You will be seated on tall chairs within a small but comfortable space, and if you will eat just about anything, let him know that by asking for the chef's choice. Rue will make you some incredible fare, that is not often served at other sushi bars. He will impress not only you with his offerings, but your guests as well. Nevada City has many restaurants, but Rue's back bar is very special place that many locals don't know about and if they do, they don't talk about it. Enjoy your date night.

THREE LEGS OF EDUCATION

Teaching and or coaching is a very demanding position in any community. Teachers have Star tests with very public numbers, and coaches have win loss records displayed in the sports section every day. My father was an educator and coach in Jackson, Michigan where I grew up, so other than my involvement as a school board member and as the father of two school aged children, I have a long history as to the demands of education. Teachers have a responsibility to teach every child to the best of their abilities, regardless of who walks through the door. Some children read or run faster than others, while many are engaged and others are not. Nevada County has some of the best schools in the state as well as the country. Many local schools have achieved Blue Ribbon status and a large number of Bear River and Nevada Union High School graduates attend college. This is due to teacher dedication, student commitment and parent support. Think of a stool. There must be three strong legs for it to stand. The educator, the student and the parents create a partnership for student success. If there is a failure by one of the three legs, the stool will not stand. If there is failure, the teacher or coach is usually the first to receive the blame. But instead of casting blame, it would be best for the sake of the student to find another way to motivate the learner if and when they struggle. A parent can take an active role by being involved as well as being inquisitive as to what their child is learning. They can ask questions, help with study/practice habits and volunteer in the classroom, field or court. Statistics show that children with parents who are involved in the classroom or coaching on some level, have a higher achievement rate. Parental actions speak louder than words to children. Teachers are paid to teach, students by law have to attend school, the parent is the only leg of the stool which is by choice and it takes three legs to make the educational stool stand.

Nevada County peeps

Nevada County peeps

For my first post, I would like to express how wonderful Nevada County and it's residents are. They are always willing to go the extra mile for their fellow peeps regardless of where they came from, or where they intend to go. I'm a relative newbie compared to many of my neighbors, but my wife, two school aged children and I have been welcomed with open arms and treated like we have been here all of our lives.

My business life in Nevada County, revolves around working as a real estate agent for ERA Cornerstone at the corner of Alta Sierra Dr. and HWY 49. I was a realtor for some time prior to moving to Alta Sierra. While the current market is getting better by the day, there are still numerous opportunities to be taken advantage of. It is still a buyers market. If you have a few investment dollars and a desire to purchase property as an investment or to call home, I would be honored to help you make the right purchase.

I was recently appointed to sit on the Pleasant Ridge School District's School Board. Even though I have been involved at all three of the district's schools, I have much to learn. The board is comprised of five very diverse people who bring very different perspectives to the table. I appreciate the time, thought and care that each one of them provide to me as well as the broad based community. It is a tough tough job that I do not take lightly. If you have a question or a situation that you do not know how to handle, I'm here to help you. I'm always around and I'm told that I'm a good listener.