With the Devil Mountain Run cancelled for the first time in more than three decades, Danville’s Forward Motion Sports has stepped in and will hold free 5K and 10K races.

The store is calling the run the 1st Unofficial Forward Motion Sports FREE 5K/ 10K Fun Run and Walk and starts at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 6, in the back of the store at 432 Hartz Ave. in downtown Danville. The course will wind through Danville and back to the store.

Water and other refreshments will be served at no cost to runners. The store is also offering a 20 percent discount on shoes on Saturday and Sunday.

The Devil Mountain run was previously organized by Children's Hospital Oakland as a fundraiser but the cost of putting on the run had become too much. The Devil Mountain Run usually drew about 2,000 runners and walkers. --KB

Due to popular demand, The Designers Log updates and revisits a post from 2010, adding a top 10 list. Enjoy! 

Do you ever look at a house on TV and wish it was yours? Did you ever try to decorate your home to look like one you saw on the small screen? How we see others live on television shapes how we see our own homes, what we aspire to and offers a possible blueprint for perfect living. 

In the 1950s, television started giving us an eye into how others live. No longer did we have to leave the comfort of our living room to get a peek at our neighbors. We could compare and contrast our spaces with other families, from Ozzie and Harriet to Leave it to Beaver.  Post WW II, ostentatious wealth was out. Manufactured furniture, Lucy and Desi and the middle class was in. The rich were not like us; family and a suburban life was on the rise. We moved from formal rooms to tract homes and twin beds.

On 60s TV, programs like The Dick Van Dyke Show brought us black and white living and a concept of what the perfect home needed to look like. Bewitched also depicted a version of suburban homes and neighborhoods. Husbands came home from the city to a wife with dinner on the table and a martini in hand. Darrin Stevens gave us the first "man cave", his paneled den. As Gladys Kravitz peeked through the blinds, it was the beginning of keeping up with the Joneses.

Television has given us such iconic rooms as The Mary Tyler Moore Show single woman apartment with the big M on the wall and Rhoda's hip attic pad. Who can forget the Archie Bunker dad chair or the upscale urban family rooms of 30-Something?

Recently I worked with a couple in their 40's. Their number one concern was not to get a Brady Bunch house. For people of that generation, the decor of the 1970s is their parents era. Ironically, at the time the show aired, it was considered the epitome of upscale California suburban living. Their combined family resided in arguably the most recognizable house on TV. The stone planter, the open stairway, the orange laminate counters and the Jack and Jill bathroom were mimicked by builders and designers for years as the way a family should live.

By the 80s, shows like Dallas, Falcon Crest and Dynasty depicted the poster interiors for opulence.  Bigger was better, rich was back in vogue and the over the top furnishings held their own with the big shoulders of Linda Evans and Joan Collins. Hart to Hart showcased wealthy Los Angeles living, while The Golden Girls put hip Florida senior living on the map.

In the 2000's, Mad Men, about the advertising industry in the 1960s, showcases mid century modern decor. The hipness of the martini crowd has made this look very trendy. Mad Men attempts to mimic the era, right down to the smallest detail. They do a remarkable job of re-creating the time and romanticizing days gone by. By enjoying the modern feel of the interiors, we are seeing a strong example of how styles and trends recycle. Now in it's 5th season, we've seen Mad Men go from the Eisenhower era to the swinging 60's. Pucci prints, shag rugs and bean bag chairs have renewed interest in the colors of those pychedelic years.

Currently, TV allows us to peek into the hipness of New York lofts on Smash, see a real depiction of  family diversity on Modern Family and fabulous interiors around the country on The Real Housewives of... series. We see how real celebrities live on reality shows and HGTV schedules makeovers and renovations to entertain us for hours.

Over the years, interiors on TV have shown us glamour, style and reality as well as trends and design disasters. We have been given rooms to admire, color palettes to stagger the senses and the diversity of our lives. Our own homes and lifestyle has been reflected through the lense in subliminal messages of how we should live. 

So whether you are a Don Draper, miss your Brady Bunch childhood or still like to fantasize about the homes of the uber-rich, the line between real life and the media has shrunken. 

Here is my Top 10 list of favorite TV rooms:

10 -  Don Johnson's Miami Vice bacholer pad.

9 - The Doris Day Show spiral staircase with San Francisco Bay view.

8 - Brothers and Sisters Santa Barbara loggia.

7 - Marlo Thomas' That Girl New York one bedroom.

6 - The Brady Bunch stairway.

5 - Smash brownstone of Debra Messing.

4 - Any room in Downton Abbey.

3 - Dick Van Dyke Show living room in New Rochelle.

2 - Niles' living room on Frasier.

1 - The Madison Avenue offices of Mad Men.

An established Interior Designer for over 20 years, Steve Wallace Design is based in Walnut Creek, California.  His work has appeared in Palm Springs Life and other interior design publications, and he is the author of a soon to be published book about design and the way we live. 

He can be reached at  925 915 1005, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or visit www.SteveWallaceDesign.com.

As we headed towards a raging Clavey Falls, I took a deep breath and gripped my paddle with white knuckles. During the biggest runoff in a decade on the Tuolumne, the steepest drop on the state’s wildest river looked like the watery end of the world. But it was definitely too late to go back.

“Forward, forward, forward!” screamed our guide over the water’s roar. We pulled our paddles furiously even though obeying the order ruled out hanging onto the raft for dear life. Hearts pounding, we dropped off the edge.  The boat rocked about madly and one paddler nearly swam before the crew pulled him back from the brink.
Terror turned to triumph moments later as we reached the safety of a calm eddy, the roughest rapid of the trip behind us. “All right, woo-hoo, huzzah!” cried my shipmates. I shared the sentiment but was too winded to join in.

Though far from an expert, I’ve enjoyed rafting perhaps a dozen runs on Sierra Nevada rivers over the years. My trips along the Tuolumne always took a different form, though. I had climbed atop Yosemite’s Lyell Glacier where the river originates and hiked beside the Tuolumne for dozens of miles. Yet I always knew I’d have to raft “The T” someday.
That occasion finally arrived when friends and I joined Sierra Mac River Rafting Trips for a two-day, 18-mile run on the main segment of the Tuolumne, from Meral’s Pool to Ward’s Ferry. The outing began with multiple Class 4 (challenging) rapids including Rock Garden, Nemesis, Sunderland’s Chute and Hackamack Hole.

Like many rafters, we spent a night camping beside a sandy beach near Clavey Falls. Those who go with a guided group may enjoy a decadent meal of steak, salmon, potatoes, hot green veggies, beer and wine, as we did. We rafted rough water but hardly roughed it. The river sang us to sleep.
After an equally hearty breakfast, the main event awaited. Clavey Falls, the run’s only Class 5 (experts only) rapid, tends to lodge in boaters’ memories and not just because of the adrenaline rush it produces. The confluence of the Clavey and Tuolumne rivers embody nature’s power which shaped this beautiful canyon. It’s also a special setting to Marty McDonnell, Sierra Mac’s owner and Tuolumne rafting pioneer.

“The Clavey River/Tuolumne River confluence for me is my place to worship, play, call home and enjoy a display of nature’s Michaelangelo’s stone carvings,” McDonnell said. “Rock, gravity and water create one of the world’s greatest navigable rapids… Each visit changes your life forever.”

The second half of the journey features Class 3 (moderate) and more Class 4 rapids like Gray’s Grindstone and Hell’s Kitchen, providing boaters with thrills and also a chance to take in the canyon’s scenery and wildlife. Cedars, alders, willows, oaks, pines and plenty of manzanita make for pleasant viewing. Black bears, coyote, hawks and even mountain lions show themselves occasionally.

Everyone was sorry to reach the take out at Ward’s Ferry Bridge. “If you liked the Main T, you’ll love the Upper T,” another rafter commented. Just like that, I knew I had to go back, and a month later I did.
With nine miles of continuous Class 4 and Class 5 rapids, the Cherry Creek/Upper Tuolumne route is the most challenging rafted run in the United States. Wetsuits and life vests are mandatory, as are swimming tests across the icy, fast flowing river and back. The exercise will kick-start your heart for the workout that awaits downstream.

The Guillotine, Jawbone, Unknown Soldier and Coffin Rock rapids bear fearful names but the more innocuous-sounding Mushroom, Flat Rock Falls and Lewis’ Leap are actually more hazardous. Many parties disembark and walk to avoid these and especially Lumsden Falls, a Class 6 rapid (potentially deadly even for experts) and the river’s most dangerous spot.
Still, that leaves plenty of whitewater and this run felt like a non-stop thrill ride with more exciting rapids than all my previous rafting trips combined.

The Upper T averages an amazing 100-foot drop per mile but a middle section known as the Miracle Mile drops a phenomenal 200 feet. By this point, guide Jeff Hall had our two-man, two-woman crew working well in sync, thankfully. Only a miracle could get a raft with less-than-expert guidance through this mile, a slalom course of raging rapids and countless rocky obstacles.

The memorable outing ended with a well-deserved lunch and a congratulatory champagne toast the rafters and guides shared. I was surprised to learn that guides who’ve completed this challenge hundreds of times still consider every run a special occasion.

“Cherry Creek is tops: steep, absurdly difficult and relentless,” said Adam Crom, a guide since 1982. “It’s simply the best guided whitewater trip I’ve ever seen. This run demands your best every minute of every day. If you are inattentive or unfocused, bad things will happen, and soon! It is a rare thing to work in a place that demands so much and rewards you so beautifully if you do it right.”

As a frequent Yosemite visitor, I drove beside the Tuolumne on Highway 120 for nearly 20 years before finally rafting this gem. I’m not going to wait nearly so long to take the plunge again. --MJ

Matt Johanson writes about travel, sports, the outdoors, education and politics for California newspapers and magazines. He also teaches social studies and journalism at Castro Valley High School. Check out his site at http://mattjohanson.com. Thanks to Sierra Mac River Rafting Trips for the photos.

As I was sitting at my patio table enjoying our warm spring weather, I heard a “whoosh” right over the top of my head, and then a clattering noise in the ash tree next to me.  At first I thought it was my Great Horned Owl coming home to rest after a long night of hunting.  I remained still for a few moments to regain my composure and then looked up into the tree and discovered a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk perched in the tree eating its prey.

I remained very quiet and unobtrusive for several minutes until I felt confident about moving and not causing it to leave its perch.  I got up very slowly and tip-toed over to the patio door and quietly opened the slider.  The minute I stepped inside, I dashed to grab the binoculars and my trusty Canon Power Shot camera. 

The hawk was indeed eating its prey – a huge roof rat!  I observed the rat’s tail hanging over the limb of the tree where the hawk was perched.  It was ravenous about ripping the rat apart and getting to the meat of the operation.  It was interesting that it would eat for a time and then rest, eat for a time and then rest again. 

My family arrived in the afternoon for Sunday dinner and the grandchildren had an opportunity to observe the hawk.  My 6-year-old grandson was the most enthusiastic.  In fact, the letter for the week in his kindergarten class the following week was “H” and he wanted a picture of the hawk to take to school and present to his fellow students.  We blew one up poster size.

As we were busy watching and learning, we were confident the hawk would not leave his perch as long as it was eating.   It appeared as though the hawk had completed its meal when we discovered its last morsel of food had been dropped into the shrub below the tree.  The hawk remained on the limb of the tree and stared down at the bush for the longest time.  To our amazement, the hawk dove from the tree into the dense shrub to retrieve its last bit of meat.  At this point we were frightened that it may have been injured because it was struggling to get out of the shrub.  Luckily it emerged with the morsel of meat and finished its meal on the top ledge of my fence in full view of the family gathering.

The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the most common Hawks in North America.  They live in a wide and diverse range of habitats, including urban areas.  The Red-tailed hawk is an opportunistic predator and uses a variety of hunting skills depending on the type of prey it is attacking.

The Red-tailed hawk feeds on rodents, snakes, shrews, ducks, and lizards.  In the air, it may strike at bats and small birds.  It may perch on trees or poles, hover, and then drop down vertically on the prey (which is what it did when it dove into the shrub).

This particular hawk is a monogamous bird that mates with a partner for many years and will stay with the same bird unless one of them dies.  Courtship displays include a “sky dance” where the mates plunge and swoop together.  After the courtship, they build their nest of twigs lined with bark and other vegetation.  They nest in large trees, but may also nest on cliff ledges.  They use the same nesting sight over and over.  Their clutch is between one and five eggs and incubated by both the male and female.  Eggs hatch in 28-35 days.  The chicks are dependent on their parents for a long time.  The male provides food for the female and chicks and the female feeds the chicks by tearing the meat into small pieces.  They generally leave the nest within 42-46 days.  Hopefully this particular Red-tailed hawk will nest in another area because the Great Horned Owl is a predator and will attempt to seize the nesting sight.Native Americans believed the distinctive tail feathers of this bird were sacred and they used them for religious ceremonies.--- JM

 Jody McPheeters is a published author, freelance writer, and a gardening coach with a passion for sustainability and a love for nature and animals. Reach her through her website at www.yourgardeningcoach.com.