Monthly Archives: June 2010

Wine Appreciation

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When I first started to swirl, sniff and sip, it seemed that with the hundreds of American and French wineries selling wine that I would never ever be able to distinguish one from another. Considering the number of reds and whites as well as the ever-increasing vintages, the task seemed too immense, too confusing, and, frankly, quite daunting. “Why bother,” I thought. “Wine is wine.” It’s either red or white, and occasionally something in between. And, rather candidly, it all tasted somewhat alike. I was in a fog of blissful ignorance.

Then while browsing wine books in a bookstore I leafed through one whose contents grouped wines, and their underlying grape varieties, by body style. Up to that time my notion of body was ‘lean and athletic,’ ‘well rounded and cuddly,’ and ‘Oh my gosh Paul, look at that one.’ In this book, however, the divisions were on a more asexual vinous order. The author’s system seized my analytical mind. Hierarchy. Categories. Order. I loved it.

Body style became my navigator and the pivotal point in demystifying wines. I came to understand that wines, whether they were foreign or domestic, red or white, mono-varietal or blended, possessed an innate body style. Also, I noted that their intrinsic body (weight), very generally, tended to be light, medium, or full. And, at a closer, more attentive savoring, they would more likely be ‘light to medium’ or ‘medium to full’ or outright ‘full bodied.’ The haze was lifting. 

Body styles may be old news to you, but if not, be apprised that body relates to the impression or weight of the wine in your mouth. Certain wines, primarily because of higher alcohol levels, (there are other factors as well) have a heavier ‘mouth-feel’ than those at lower alcohol levels. (Generally, from 7.5% to 10.5% are considered light bodied; those above 13% are full; medium bodies are between those two.) Wines that have insufficient alcohol will seem thin and watery, and those with too much alcohol, while they might give you that cheerful buzz, will feel hefty and ‘hot.’ Neither makes particularly good food partners.

How does one distinguish the different body styles? Many suggest looking to milk for examples. Which has more mouth feel (weight) skim milk or regular? Regular or half and half? Half and half or whipping cream? Notice the movement up the viscosity scale? The same distinctions, though not quite so striking, are there in wines.

Those lactic examples are obvious because you know milk. That same awareness will evolve as you do slower, mindful savoring of your dinnertime wines. (Hint: check the bottle label for alcohol level and other winemaking details.) You will begin to discern, at least with respect to body, why you favor one wine over another. However, keep in mind that in a wine’s basic profile, body is but one component in its overall structure, just as there is more than meets the eye when boy sees body.

— Tom Barras

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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My friends tease me that I was born with a whisk in one hand and a rolling pin in the other. From the time I was 5 years old I begged my Mom to teach me how to cook. I haunted her in the kitchen — she had no choice but to make me her little sous chef de cuisine! I loved my Dad’s garden, the raspberry bushes, his fruit trees, the grapevines and even the compost pile in the corner of the backyard that seemed to grow the largest and best squash plants! This early passion for baking and cooking, using fresh organic produce and healthy ingredients, remains to this day.

Growing up in the small town of Wethersfield, Connecticut, our family always looked forward to the month of June. Dad’s birthday was the first week in June, and this meant that the strawberries were ripe and ready for picking. Dad would load all of the kids (I was the oldest of five) into the station wagon and we would travel down the Connecticut River Valley a short distance to the local strawberry farm. After several hours of filling our baskets (we ate two for every berry that went into the basket) we would collapse into the back set of the car and head for home, sunburned, tired, and with clothes and hands stained bright strawberry red. And of course, we would insist that we had to have Strawberry Shortcake that evening for dessert before we could even think about making Strawberry Jam.

In honor of Father’s Day and one of my Dad’s favorite desserts, here is our family recipe for Strawberry Shortcake. It’s quick and easy to make, and the flaky shortcake biscuits just call out for those fresh seasonal strawberries, whipped cream and a big glass of icy-cold milk.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE (Serves 6)

BISCUITS

2 Cups sifted white unbleached All Purpose Flour

4 Teaspoons baking powder

1 Teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons White Sugar (I use Bakers superfine sugar)

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup unsalted cold butter

1/2 Cup whole milk

Preheat Oven — 400 degrees

Mix dry ingredients together into medium mixing bowl. Cut butter into very small pieces, and add to dry ingredients. Blend with pastry cutter, and then mix with your fingers, squishing pieces of butter into the flour. Do this quickly to keep the butter cold. Whisk egg and milk together in a separate bowl. Add egg/milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir together with a fork. The batter will be a bit sticky. Pour shortcake mixture onto lightly floured pastry cloth or floured marble rolling surface. Dust with a sprinkle of flour, and knead gently a couple of times into a round ball. Roll out to a ? inch thickness. Flour bottom of cookie/biscuit cutters (I use a 2 inch diameter cutter, but have been known to make Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear sizes!) and cut out biscuits. Place biscuits onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Put another biscuit round on top of the first, so you have two rounds to make one biscuit. With pastry brush or fingers, brush a little milk on top of each biscuit. I sprinkle with a little sparkling/sanding sugar for garnish. Back on middle shelf in oven (I do not use my convection oven) for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

STRAWBERRIES

4 pints of fresh strawberries

Wash, hull and slice strawberries into serving bowl. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 Tablespoons of sugar and set aside.

WHIPPED CREAM

I pint of Strauss Organic whipping cream, whipped into soft peaks (I love Strauss Family Creamery products — they are the BEST !)

Hint: Place stainless steel bowl and whisk attachments in freezer for 30 minutes before whipping to ensure great results.

Assemble shortcake biscuits onto plate — open biscuit, spoon strawberries and whipped cream in the middle of the biscuit, place top of biscuit onto filling, and garnish with additional whipped cream and berries ! A sprig of fresh mint always makes a nice garnish.

Enjoy !

— Lynn Kathleen Adams

Softening The Glare of the Summer Sun

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Do the windows in your home allow so much sunlight into the interior that some of the rooms have an unpleasant glare? Are there high decorative windows and skylights that allow the sunlight to directly hit your flooring and furnishings? Ultra-violet (UV) rays can cause color changes in art, fabrics, paint and wood in just three months. Fix the problem now before the damage occurs. Luminette® and Silhouette® window shades from Hunter Douglas will preserve the view while blocking 99% of the UV rays. Another alternative is to apply tinted window film to the problem windows for about $13 per square foot. Window film can be applied on a custom made window (stained glass) to prevent the glass from shattering in case of an earthquake; and it also is a physical deterrent to burglary.

Consider upgrading from mini-blinds. Mini-blinds are installed in many new homes, but after five years the vanes bend, the cords break, and they become a nuisance to clean. Dangling drapery and shade cords become a dangerous attraction to children and pets. Fortunately there are many shades available with cordless adjustments or with a motorized remote control option. If you have tall windows or an unsightly view, installing top down bottom up shades will allow the light to come in the top of the window and still provide privacy to the occupants of the room. Vignette® fabric Roman shades roll up into a 4” head rail to completely clear the glass and create an updated look for sliders and large windows.

If your wall-to-wall carpet or hardwood flooring has faded and you are not going to replace it, consider adding a punch of color with a runner or an area rug that will hide the imperfections. Make sure to use the correct pad between the area rug and the carpet to prevent abrasion of the carpet and further wear.

— Jean Cary, Jean Cary Interiors

To find the solutions to your home dilemmas, give Jean a call: of (650) 593-9622

President’s Message: June 2010

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I mentioned in my article last month that the Belmont Redwood Shores School Board has been considering a number of options for issuing bonds to address facilities issues (e.g., repairs and new classrooms) in the District, most of which are at the Belmont elementary schools and Ralston Middle School.

The School Board met on May 20 to discuss what sort of bond structure made the most sense in view of the District’s facilities needs and also had a good chance of being approved by the voters this November. Last month I described two of the options that were under consideration. Option 1 involved the issuance of District-wide bonds for $69M, which meant that taxpayers in Belmont and Redwood Shores would pay at the same rate ($27 per $100,000 Assessed Property Value) to fund the bonds, even though a very small amount of the funds would be spent in the Shores and we alone in Redwood Shores are already paying $30 per $100,000 APV for Redwood Shores Elementary. Option 2 was far more equitable as it involved the issuance of $58M in bonds in Belmont to fund projects at the Belmont elementary schools and half of Ralston’s needs, and $11M in bonds in Redwood Shores for small projects and maintenance at Sandpiper and the other half of Ralston’s needs. RSCA opposed Option 1 as inequitable, but supported Option 2 as being fair to the Shores.

I speak of these two options in the past tense as both were eliminated from consideration by the School Board at their May 20 meeting! It is a tribute to RSCA’s advocacy on this issue, and Shores residents who got involved by meeting with and writing to School Board Members and speaking at School Board and community meetings, that the Board recognized the inequity of Option 1 and decided to pursue a different course. On the other hand, the Board also ruled out Option 2 as it didn’t raise enough for the Belmont elementary schools. Instead of those choices, the Board decided to focus on a third option, Option 3.

Like Option 2, Option 3 involves two bonds. The first bond is a District-wide bond ($24.6M) that will provide $18M in funds for Ralston and $150K for the District Maintenance Building, and pay off around $6M in loans taken out by the School District to build the first phase of Sandpiper Elementary. (For more information on the history of Sandpiper, see the related article by Carole Wong inside this issue of The Pilot or go to www.rsca.org for a more detailed timeline of events.) This bond is projected to cost all District taxpayers approximately $10.68 per $100,000 APV. The second bond is a $49M bond for projects at the Belmont elementary schools to be paid for by Belmont taxpayers. Option 3 has not been formally adopted by the School Board (that should happen in early June) and the all-important language for the bond measure is still under development, so it would be premature to draw any conclusions at this point about Option 3. As we did with the levee issue, RSCA will monitor this evolving issue closely and communicate or take additional action depending on what we hear, our goal being a bond measure that addresses District needs and is fair and equitable for Redwood Shores residents.

— Doug Crisman , RSCA President

The Skinny on Salt

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If you or one of your family members has high blood pressure, you probably know all about the challenges of avoiding added salt in modern-day prepared foods. Yet salt is critical for life and has always been a critical part of human society.

The earliest-known pharmaceutical text, the Peng-Tzao-Kan-Mu, written about 5,000 years ago in China, described 40 kinds of salt and their properties. The ancient Greeks traded slaves in exchange for salt, which gave rise to the expression, “not worth his salt.” Marco Polo found salt cakes stamped with the imperial seal of Kublai Khan used as money in Tibet; and in Timbuktu, on the southern edge of the Saharan desert, salt was once traded ounce for ounce for gold. Salt enabled the early Europeans to fish the Grand Banks in Newfoundland since they could preserve their catch for the long journey home. In this respect, salt could be considered one of the first antibiotics used by humans, since it was used to kill the bacteria that would have otherwise caused the fish to spoil.

Common table salt is made up of one part sodium and one part chloride atom. It is one of the four basic flavors that all humans appreciate, along with sweet, sour and bitter. Salt is present in all the fluids and tissues of our bodies and is necessary for normal functioning of our organs. Our heart needs it to beat and our brain needs it to think. Yet too much salt can contribute to blood-pressure problems. So we ask our patients to avoid added salt and to read food labels regarding salt content.

Dietary salt is measured and displayed on food labels as milligrams (mg) of sodium. The current recommendation is that we consume less than 2,400 mg of sodium daily. That is only about one teaspoon, and this includes all salt — salt naturally present in foods, salt added to processed foods, salt used in cooking and salt added at the table. For someone with high blood pressure, a lower target — 1,500 mg daily — helps keep blood pressure down and helps blood pressure-lowering medicines work more effectively.

Salt is present in almost all of our foods. Even natural unprepared foods have some salt. Milk, a natural body fluid, has about 160 mg of sodium per cup.

Some foods are obvious culprits. Pretzels wear their salt right on the surface, and we eat potato and corn chips as much for the salty flavor as for the flavor of the baked or fried starch. But there is a surprising amount of salt in most sauces or condiments, such as spaghetti sauce and catsup. Most canned foods, including soups, stews and vegetables, are rife with added salt, sometimes 300 to 1,000 mg per serving. Prepared meats such a cold cuts and sausages are also chock full of salt.

Always read the food label for sodium (salt) content. Always check the serving size and servings per container. Though some prepared foods may appear to have only a modest salt content, a review of the food label may reveal many servings per container. If you are consuming more than one serving, your actual salt intake could be much higher than the number listed on the label. Fast foods are probably the worst offenders. It is not uncommon for fast food meals to have 1,000 to 2,000 mg of sodium in one serving.

While salt has been a critical part of human history and is critical to our body’s physiology, we want to make sure we avoid “too much of a good thing.” For additional information on the impact of salt on health, visit the following websites.

     http://www.cdc.gov/features/sodium/

    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/sodium.htm

    http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm181577.htm

— Bill Black, M.D., Ph.D.

The Origin and Funding of Sandpiper Elementary School

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As community discussion has intensified over the last several months about the size, shape, and equity of the proposed school bond tax, certain “urban myths” have taken on a new life. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the facts about how Sandpiper Elementary School came to be and de-bunk the myth that “Belmont paid for most of Sandpiper.” This myth, if left uncorrected, could distract the community at a critical time in funding the public school system. The factual basis for this article comes from extensive interviews of those who were directly involved in the development of the Shores, examination of public records, and information provided by staff at San Mateo County (Office of the Treasurer, Controller, Assessor, Education, Elections, and Records), Belmont-Redwood Shores School District (the ‘District’), and Redwood City.

Fact: Sandpiper Elementary School would not exist today had it not been for the continued generosity of the master developer, personal intervention by Redwood City Council, and significant financial support of Redwood City.

Fact: Shores and Belmont taxpayers have shared in the funding for construction of Sandpiper Elementary.

Fact: The District could have significantly reduced the financed amount for Sandpiper had it not already depleted more than $3,500,000 from the 1987 sale of the original school site in the Shores (given to the District in 1969 by the original Shores master developer for $175K) and hundreds of thousands more in School Impact Fees (a/k/a “developer fees”) collected from 1987 onwards as the Shores was built out.

The Origin of the First School in the Shores:

In 1968, the first General Plan for development of Redwood Shores was approved. In 1969, Leslie Properties, Inc. (the original master developer) sold a 6.75 acre parcel (known as the “Dory Lane parcel”) to the District at a deeply discounted price of $175K to encourage the District to build a school in Redwood Shores at a date as early as possible. Instead, in 1987, the District declared the property as “surplus” and offered it for sale to Redwood City who agreed to purchase 2 acres for the price of $362K in 1988 (now Marlin Park). The District sold the remaining portion to PenCal Properties for $3.32M which brought the District’s total profit to over $3.5M. (PenCal Properties developed the homes along what is now Harbor Colony Court and Dory Lane.)

During the period from 1987 to 1995, there was neither in-ground construction that benefited Shores students (who attended Nesbit Elementary in Belmont) nor a neighborhood school as originally planned by the master developer.

By 1995, the Shores student population had reached a critical number and the District finally acknowledged that the Shores required a local school. However, the District had no funds and attempted unsuccessfully to get Redwood City to require the master developer (now Redwood Shores Properties) to donate a second school site to the District as a condition for approval to develop Area G (seven neighborhoods). The master developer refused believing that it too would be declared “surplus” and sold.

At this point in 1995, Redwood City’s City Council became actively involved in shaping a deal that would make the first school in the Shores a reality. First, the master developer gave Redwood City “free and clear” title to 11 acres (then known as Sandpiper Park) for use as a school and related facilities.

Redwood City sold 3.89 acres of Sandpiper Park parcel to the District for a school site for $2.95M. The City used the rest of the site (7.17 acres) for a community center and sports fields and reserved the $2.95M (from the sale of the school site) in a sinking fund to support future maintenance and operations costs of the sports field and community center. The City also invested $2.98 million on construction of Sandpiper Community Center including half of the cost of the multi-purpose room that would be used by the District as part of normal school operation. In addition, the City used $1.25 million of General Improvement District 1-64 funds to construct the portions of the sports fields that would be used as part of a public park (with the District sharing the cost of joint playfields). Lastly, the City entered into a Joint Use Agreement with the District that allowed the District to use the community center, sports fields, and parking lot as part of school operations.

The District, having no ready funds, took out a loan for $6 million, using 89% of it ($5.34M) to: purchase the Sandpiper school site; construct K-3 school for 250 students, day care center, joint use sports fields, and up to $1M of the cost of a multi-purpose room in the community center; and, obtain a license to use the City’s facilities as part of school operations. The District paid the annual debt expense using developer fees and funds that it received from Belmont Redevelopment Agency. [NOTE: This is the basis for the urban myth that “Belmont paid for most of Sandpiper.” However, today’s outstanding principal is $5.6M — which is $300K more than the cost to build the first phase of Sandpiper (K-3). So, it is more accurate to say that the loan to finance the entire first phase of Sandpiper is still outstanding. This District-wide debt could have been largely avoided if the District had reserved the proceeds from the sale of the first school site as well as School Impact Fees paid over the many years by developers in the Shores for the original intended use — the construction of the first school in the Shores.]

In 1997, the voters approved a District-wide bond ($12M) and less than half used for expanding Sandpiper to K-5. Since this bond was District-wide, Shores and Belmont taxpayers have shared these bond payments.

In summary, Sandpiper Elementary School became a reality due in large measure to the continued generosity of the master developer and substantial intervention of Redwood City and its Council. Both Belmont and Shores taxpayers have shared the funding for construction of Sandpiper Elementary. The new Redwood Shores Elementary School, in contrast, is funded 100% by Shores taxpayers for the next 30 years.

–Submitted by Carole Wong, President of RSOA

Sandpiper Spotlight: June 2010

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May was a busy month filled with academic testing and end-of-year activities.

Leveraging a grant by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors’ Math and Science Innovation Award, Miss Fauce expanded her Science students’ knowledge of anatomy with digestion tract labs, dissections, and an assembly by the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Sandpiper families also enjoyed a beautiful instrumental music and choral concert featuring more than 200 of our 4th & 5th grade students. We appreciate the dedication and passion of our music teacher, Mrs. MacAllister.

The PTA recently hosted Teacher Appreciation Week to thank the staff and teachers for their dedication throughout the school year. There was much to celebrate! With your generous donations to the School-Force Education Foundation, several positions at Sandpiper have been reinstated for the 2010-2011 school year. Our sincere appreciation to every family and business for their continued support!

API (Academic Performance Index) scores are one of many instruments used to measure a school’s performance. The 2009 scores were recently released and Sandpiper students came through with flying colors and a score of 935 — the highest ranking in our School District. Kudos to our students, and the strong partnership which exists between our Principal, PTA, staff, teachers and families.

The PTA wishes to invite all new families to the Sandpiper Summer Playdate series. Playdates will be held on June 26, July 24, and August 21 from 11:00am-1:00pm on the play structures (near Room 22). Please bring a picnic lunch, blanket/chairs, and sunscreen.

The Redwood Shores Lions Club Spotlight

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Joint Lions Project – Maple Street Shelter BBQ

Lions from the Redwood Shores, Belmont, and San Mateo Clubs, together with the SFSU Leo Club, joined together to host a Sunday BBQ at the Maple Street Shelter. The residents of the Maple Street Shelter feasted on a delicious hamburger and hot dog barbecue with all the fixings, salads, fruit, chips and ice cream on a warm Sunday evening. The residents thoroughly enjoyed the food and the Lions had a great time working together in this joint project. A number of Lions also toured the Shelter and learned more about the Shelter program and the wonderful work done by the Shelter Network organization.

High School Scholarships

Congratulations to our high school scholarship winners! Each year, the Redwood Shores Lions Community Service Scholarship is awarded to graduating high school students who demonstrate academic caliber, extra-curricular involvement, and commitment to community service and volunteerism. The Scholarships are open to any graduating high school students in the local Bay Area. This year, the Redwood Shores Lions Club has selected the following scholarship recipients: Daniel Perez, Woodside High School and Grace Wolovich from Woodside High School. Daniel will receive a $1,300 scholarship and Grace will receive a $500 scholarship. These students were impressive in their dedication to the spirit of community service. In addition, special thanks to our Scholarship Chairperson, Gary Krippendorf, for his work in organizing and championing this worthwhile program!

2010-2011 New Officers

Congratulations to the new officers for 2010-2011. Mary Carbullido, President, Jun Madrinan, Vice President, Shellie Sakamoto, Secretary, and Ram Paul Passi, Treasurer. Congratulations and best wishes for another successful year!

Free Hearing Aids

Each year, there are many people who need hearing aids. However, the cost for a hearing aid can easily be $1,000 or more. Did you know that the Redwood Shores Lions Club, and many other Lions Clubs, gives away free refurbished hearing aids, eye examinations and eyeglasses every year? If you know of any needy individual who cannot afford any of these items and has need, please contact Lion Jun Madrinan at (650) 572-9021. The Redwood Shores Lions Club is part of the Ear of the Lion Foundation, which collects funds and distributes them to needy individuals who need hearing aids. The Redwood Shores Lions Club has helped individuals locally to receive these benefits and is happy to help anyone in need.

Eyeglass Collections

Do you have old eyeglasses that you no longer need? If so, please consider donating them to the Lions Club. Each year, the Redwood Shores Lions Club and many other clubs throughout the United States, recycles old eyeglasses and distributes them to needy individuals throughout the world via the Lions In Sight Program. As we do this, we truly give the gift of sight to those who cannot afford something as simple as eyeglasses. If you are interested in donating your old eyeglasses, please look for our eyeglass collection box at the Sandpiper Community Center.

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— Shellie Sakamoto, Past President

About the Redwood Shores Lions Club

The Redwood Shores Lions Club holds its general meeting on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Sandpiper Community Center. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend. The Club has approximately 20 members who are young and young-at-heart working professionals. The Club is a family-friendly group of individuals who enjoy giving back to the community while having fun at the same time. Since its inception, the Club has provided a variety of services to the community of Redwood Shores, as well as other neighboring areas. For more information, please contact Lion Mary Carbullido at (650) 593-6384 or Lion Shellie Sakamoto at (650) 654-7914.

Position Open: Redwood City Police Activities League

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Redwood City Police Activities League’s (RWC PAL) mission is to build partnerships between youth, police, and the community through educational, cultural, recreational and outreach programs to help youth reach their full potential. Redwood City PAL is a nonprofit community-based organization providing intervention, prevention, and alternative programs to youth in Redwood City, California. The Board of Directors of RWC PAL has recently embarked on an organizational effectiveness project designed to ensure PAL’s ongoing stability and overall efficiency as it moves into the new fiscal year and beyond. The Board is excited about the new initiatives and administrative and programmatic changes that are being implemented. It will be an exciting opportunity for an Executive Director to build and expand the RWC PAL program and infrastructure.

Position Overview

The Executive Director is responsible for the management and operation of the Redwood City PAL (RWC PAL) and insuring the execution of the mission, strategic goals and objectives set by the Board of Directors. The Executive Director reports directly to the Board and manages the day-to-day operations of the program and the PAL building, leads the fund development efforts, and serves as a spokesperson in the community with donors, program partners, and the City of Redwood City, and other related persons and organizations.

Vertical Challenge: 11th Annual Helicopter Air Show

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How old were you when you got bit by the rotor wing bug? Was it when you started walking and could point to the sky at that strange thing suspended in the air? Or was it your retirement present to yourself to become a helicopter pilot? Or are you somewhere in the middle? Doesn’t matter, the fact is you like helicopters and that is exactly what Vertical Challenge is all about.

Pilots from across the United States will showcase their helicopters at the 11th Annual Hiller Aviation Museum’s Vertical Challenge on June 19, 2010. This event illustrates the many different abilities of the agile aircraft.

“They come in so many different shapes and sizes and have such a variety of different tasks that they perform. The helicopter is kind of the unsung hero. They’re the ones that fly in after the car crash and medivac to the hospital. They’re the ones that fly head first into the fire that everyone else is running away from and when someone is stranded at sea in a storm that even grounds the birds, it is the helicopter that braves they way for the rescue,” Said Willie Turner, Vice President of Operation for the Hiller Aviation Museum.

Helicopters are used for everything from traffic reports to cliff rescues to national defense. The Vertical Challenge will showcase the different functions of the helicopter with various demonstrations including fire fighting, Search and Rescue and many other types of helicopter functions. Returning to the show this year will be Otto the Clown Helicopter along with an appearance from the only Zeppelin in the United States, flown by Airship Ventures.

Vertical Challenge is the place to be if you like helicopters. If you or someone you know has a helicopter and would like to participate please contact the Hiller Aviation Museum (650) 654-0200 and visit the web site at www.hiller.org