MASKED MARATHON: Doug and Marianne Lucchesi Hamilton are competing in the Medoc Marathon, a 26.2-mile race in Bordeaux, France, which winds past 59 wineries. At each station, athletes are asked, "Madame, monsieur, red or white?"
And they're also costumed—Marianne as a French maid and Doug in multicolored velvet hat, with a T-shirt requesting, "Un peu plus vin, s'il vous plait!" Even children in the villages weigh in on their choice for the best costumes.
Though the Hamiltons are both marathon racewalkers in their 50s—this is Marianne's seventh and Doug's sixth marathon—they've never run well oiled before. "The application asks how many cigarettes and how many glasses of wine you consume per day—yet each participant must present a doctor's certification of fitness!" Marianne relates in amazement.
There's wine tasting the night before and a 10K wine-tasting recovery walk/run the day after the race. The duo felt lucky to be accepted, despite their flimsy French fluency. They are, however, fluent in Bordeaux, having trained at the French Wine Cellar and by studying French Wine for Dummies.
Marianne owns Lucchessi Communications in Los Gatos and Doug is district manager of Bon Appetit, corporate catering.
REALLY BIG SHEW: The new works of Saratoga artist Starr Davis are large; in some cases, heavy; and draw on rocks as inspiration. The show will be at Aegis Gallery from Sept. 28 to Oct. 24. An artist's reception will be held Oct. 3, 59 p.m.
Included are unusual dimensions for Davis' work—a 6-foot-tall folding screen and a 6-foot ceramic stele weighing 300 pounds. Metal and clay are the prime materials used. The artist juxtaposes the confining aspects of metal with the malleability of clay in these latest works.
And she explores the spiritual strength felt in rock as exemplified in Indian cliff dwellings. Davis has also created kachina-type dolls built of clay and metal and reflecting the spirituality that the Hopi, the creators of this type of artwork, bring to the craft.
AWARD-WINNING TEACHERS: These Pollocks are award-winning special-ed teachers—both of 'em. They are Carol Schelling and Michael Pollock. Michael is the son of Felicia and Michael Pollock of Saratoga. His wife, Carol, won the Teacher of the Year award from the Santa Clara Office of Education last week.
She teaches special-ed classes in Campbell and elsewhere and has for nearly 25 years. Her husband, now retired from teaching, was also a special-ed teacher and was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1988 when he was at Fred Martin School. He is a '63 grad of Saratoga High.
"We're a family of special teachers," crows Felicia.
MARRIED & MOVED: Saratoga ob/gyn Dr. Arthur Cooley has retired from practice and moved lock, stock and stethoscope to Aptos. Now he'll have more time to work on his current passion—composing music. And Joan, his wife and receptionist, will have more time for painting.
The Cooleys were given a royal sendoff by their Squirrel Hollow neighbors. The outdoor block party was festooned with an archway of balloons that extended from one side of the street to the other, was attended by all 15 families in the area and was multicultural in food and composition.
In June, before their departure, the Cooleys had quietly married at a civil ceremony in downtown San Jose. After living together for 30-plus years, "We knew it worked," said the doctor in his usual understated way.
CLOSE QUAKE: That earthquake Thursday was centered in Saratoga. If you didn't notice it, you must be a sound sleeper. There were two quakes within seconds of each other, and both registered a magnitude of 3.4 on the Richter scale. Weaker shakes of 2.2 and 1.7 came immediately afterward.
The temblors occurred at 3:32 a.m. and were centered near the Saratoga/Cupertino line, part of the Monta Vista fault. They were felt as far away as Santa Cruz, but no injuries or significant damages were reported.
NEW AT YSI: YSI celebrates its remodel at Vasona Park with an open house Oct. 2, 25 p.m. New exhibits include a Watershed Wall with a cutaway view of Lexington Reservoir to Vasona Lake. Five tanks of running water with live aquatic animals are part of the setup.
A Physics Wall explores the kinetic aspects of nature with a launched ping-pong ball and an adjustable rubber track. A snake-study section offers skeletons, skulls and eggs. There's a foodchain exhibit, and Indiana Jones wannabes can look for a hands-on fossil dig. Live animals will be on view, as will as a stuffed bear, wolf and moose.
YSI FUNDRAISER: A fundraiser for YSI will be held Sept. 26, 47 p.m., at the home of Sandy and Gil Decker. Tickets are $100 through Daniel Margulies at 408.356.4945, ext. 15. The Craftsman home was built in 1907 and updated by the Deckers when they bought it in '97. Sandy, a former mayor of Los Gatos, is an interior designer.
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By Mary Ann Cook