From the President…
Drive Safely, School is in Session
by Mark Rice

Well, no one ever said it was going to be easy. Easy and satisfying are not words spoken in the same sentence often -  it is more often the case that in facing challenges with full engagement that good things happen, and should, and where, on successfully facing those challenges, our emotional experiences and connectedness to others are the most heartfelt and rewarding. At least, I feel that way after sipping (i.e., guzzling) a cool beer sitting back on the patio after tackling a long over due home project. That beer never feels as good unless I sweat on some forsaken to do item, like, scraping algae off the bottom of the pool with a toothbrush, learning for once how to use our TiVo remote without an intervention,  or helping my neighbor Bob straighten up our falling grape stake fence after years of pretending it would fix itself. That was rewarding, and the beer was too.

This of course, leads us to the next topic, which is, the school bells are about to ring, ring from every mountaintop, and re-introduce into the bucolic serenity, cars, cars, bikes, buses, kids, traffic guards, snail-like snarly commutes, backups around Upper Brookside, the Lower Brookside turnstile drop off event, and all of us wondering whether we should turn left at the Fire Station and risk damaging our shock absorbers on the unmaintained road, hoping feverishly to catch a minute of time avoiding the back up to Butterfield. These road rally moments are really just “road rage mitigation”, an effort to stave off ill will towards all men on account of bah, humbug, happy kids and parents getting to school.

Albert Camus the French Algerian writer imagined Sisyphus as happy – the Big Sys of course was the dude who stole fire from the gods and was punished by having to push a large Sonoma Fieldstone up a steep hill, daily, only to see the Rolling Stone descend to the bottom of the Loma Alta, where our fire stealer would then push the American Soil’s Product once again up the hill. In Camus’ existential life view, 

Sisyphus’s fate reflects the strange beauty and wholeness to life’s deep struggles – we are alive, share a communal experience, tackle our struggles, only to see at the horizon new challenges and we must tackle them as well. That is life’s storyline, so enjoy life, exactly as it unfolds, even when it seems less than enjoyable, like sitting eleven cars

deep at the Lower Brookside Stop Sign. So the next time, stuck behind a rock like wall of traffic on Butterfield, imagine yourself Sisyphus - happy at being slowed down, by the buzz of so many children happy to be with friends again at school. Be happy you’ve had to slow down and now see their smiling faces, and hear their shrieks of laughter. The kids are a stream, cool, crisp and clean. Instead of fighting that current, intellectually or emotionally, observe and enjoy them. See Dick run. See Jane on her bike. See the kids being happy, and who knows, the slow down might just do us all a lot of good.

This of course is a round about way of saying, be safe and patient, the two habits go together. "Nothing is worth more than this day!" Goethe one was heard saying, meaning basically, slow down. The past is done, and the future ain’t here yet. Metaphysically, we have the present only, are always in the present only and are never actually in either the past or the future. So, make your present wider, longer, and fuller - smell the freshly packed lunches, hear the boisterous and joyful laughter, bask in the parents and children embracing school anew, a new start. Then, the seeming interminable back up of cars to push up against, is instead, a precious opportunity to bask in the real human rainbow children and their safe and full throttled passage from home to classroom. Now, who needs to hurry?

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Coyotes, Bobcats and Deer

At our August 7, 2008 Board meeting, Captain Cindy Machado of the Humane Society spoke at our request about the alleged mountain lion attack in May on a newly placed horse, and laid out the Humane Society’s response, and resources we can utilize to keep the risk of a wild animal situation, to a bare minimum.

Ms. Machado reminded us of the first rule of Human to natural animal interface, which is, Do NOT feed the animals. No matter how cute bambi is, bambi’s increased confidence in entering into urban zones to catch a friendly meal, will mean the deer’s natural predator will be lurking again.

Several neighbors on Crane have complained of having cats missing. We are investigating that. There are some who believe that the attack was by a coyote.

Ms Machado gave her contact information in case of any new sitings, see attached flyer as well in the newsletter. If you see any bobcat or mountain lion, take a cell phone photo or video and email it to cmachado@marinehumanesociety with the details. Ms. Machado did bring the photographs of the attack, not pretty, and suggested a large bobcat or mountain lion. The presumption is mountain lion.

I am beginning to know how the mayor in the movie “JAWS” must have felt – does one cancel the fun run or use of the facilities during San D’s remodel – or does the show go one? Children for now should not be present alone on the trails, and adults should be aware that there could be a mountain lion in the area.

New Webmaster –
Send Your Hollow Photos!
SHHA is pleased to announce that Lynette Harris has agreed to help update our web site, which, well, has some cobwebs. The site needs to have monthly updated content, community calendar and news, photos from our Fourth of July celebration, school information and links, and a "virtual tour". The Swim Team’s Jay Frantz has set a gold standard for a user friendly and customer oriented site, and we are heading in that direction. Lynette requests that residents send photos, artwork or other graphics by email to editor@gildedserpent.com. Graphics could include: photographs of the Fourth of July, Open Space, local wildlife, horseback riding in our area, or other good stuff to animate our site. Captions for photos would be appreciated. Any people pictured should be asked for permission before sending. Suggestions and volunteers also very welcome and apreciated.Than ks Lynette!

Tennis News-
Men's Fall Tourney Coming Soon!
It's getting in to the hazy days of August and that means one thing. the SHTC Men's Doubles tourney is here, complete with libation and BBQ there after (for those who survive it). In the spirit of extending play to guests, we are inviting non-member men to ring us up and muscle your way into the tourney. The SHTC would like to remind our community of our "guest"policy. You don't have to be a member of the SHTC to play on the courts, you only need to befriend a member and get yourself invited! Any member can invite a guest from time to time to join in the fun.

So get off your mountain bike, dust off your racquet (restring if necessary), call one of your friendly SHTC members, and make a cheap excuse to play in (like "Um, can I join you guys?"). Men's Fall Doubles Tourney is Saturday, September 13th, 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. Call me to play! Elliot Morshead 457-8060

Fire District Board Vacancy-
Rich Shortall Chosen
The SHFPD Board interviewed four candidates for director to replace George Szabo- Rest in Peace.

Richard C. Shortall was the successful candidate and he has been sworn in as our new director and treasurer to complete Georg'es Szabo's term. Rich has lived on Legend Road for two decades. He was formerly the Assistant Fire Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, where he was deeply involved in the integration of paramedic services into the Fire Department. We are delighted to welcome Rich.

The negotiations to make Sleepy Hollow a full voting member of the Ross Valley Fire Department (RVFD) are proceeding slowly but surely. This is requiring a complete revision of the Joint Powers Authority for the RVFD. Tom Finn is representing Sleepy Hollow on these negotiations. If you want any information contact Frank Berto- 454-2923