3.8 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts The Bay Area and Belmont

Belmont received a nice jolt today from what appears to be several small earthquakes near the San Andrea’s fault—but don’t quote me on that, it just looks that way on the map.

  Earthquake

At 2:57 PM today a 3.8 Magnitude earthquake hit just west of Pacifica followed by a 2.8 about an hour later. If you look at the USGS website over 217 people in Belmont alone registered as having felt the two jolts.

I was working on my computer when I heard loud jolt hit our home on Hallmark–as if something hit the house. Within a second a louder wave hit and our earthquake detector went off along with my nerves. I ran out of the house like you are not supposed to do, but since I was one foot from the door and we do not have power lines up here I felt that was safer than remaining indoors.

As for pets being sensitive to earthquakes, our dog Wyatt never flinched until I picked him up on my way to open space.

Where’s the best place to be in an earthquake? In a helicopter that can land anywhere.

 

 

 

Belmont Gets Blasted With Rain! (With Video)

OK it will be all over the news but here’s the local Belmont scoop. Just as a back-up to our weather station which uploads to the internet, I have this visual aid in our backyard because I guess I am a geek for starters (I also have triple redundancy for my hard drives now), but it did help when the circuit board stopped measuring rain earlier this year.

 The first picture is one I took when I left for work and the second is when I came home at lunchtime.

Blog am Rain pm

(You can click on any image to see a larger picture.)
 
Our weather station reported the following (see below). Notice the rain rate at 2” per hour at 11:52 and 36 MPH winds at 8:06 AM. It was raining cats and dogs.

Now we are up to 18.82 inches for the year (July-June), 3.82 for the month and 3.15 just since this storm event!

 Remember you can always view the weather station on our web site live 24/7 from our Hallmark area home.

Home 3 24 2011 (2)

The weather at work was amazing too as you see this poor pedestrian trying to maneuver around a small pond on Ralston Avenue whilst the cars pay scant attention to him.

UPDATED VIDEO Belmont Pedestrian Decoy Program Nets 77 and 1 Accident

Today the Belmont Police department held true to a promise to hold a decoy pedestrian sting operation along several locations on Ralston Ave. and El Camino Real in Belmont.

The message was clear; beware of pedestrians in the crosswalk. Unfortunately it also netted one accident. Sergeant Brake mentioned in the official Belmont Police press release that the decoy had yet to step off of the curb and into the crosswalk when a truck that stopped suddenly to yield to the pedestrian and was hit from behind. However, a witness spoke to us stated the decoy had in fact actuated the crossing light and stepped into the crosswalk causing the driver to react quickly and the driver following too closely behind to not react quickly enough.

To hand out this many citations is amazing in the short span of time the decoy operation was in progress. It just goes to show how important this operation was to elevate public awareness.

As for the unfortunate accident that occurred, it could have happened any day with or without decoys. 

 

 

The goal of the operation was to raise driver awareness of pedestrians.  Five (5) plain clothes “decoys”, all personnel from the involved agencies, crossed at intersections, in marked crosswalks.  “Our goal is to raise drivers’ awareness of their responsibility to stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks”, said Belmont Police Sergeant Braké, who was in charge of the operation.

 

In all, officers made 93 enforcement stops and issued 77 citations for pedestrian right of way violations.  There was one traffic collision during the operation, at Ralston Ave & Villa Ave, when a driver, who had stopped for a pedestrian, who had not yet stepped off the curb, was rear ended by another vehicle.  “That driver was following too closely and told officers he assumed that the vehicle in front of him would keep going” said Sergeant Brake’.  “The driver who stopped did the right thing”, “This shows how important it is for drivers to be alert and maintain a safe stopping distance”, Sergeant Brake’ added.

 

Since 2007, the City of Belmont has averaged three (3) auto-pedestrian collisions per year, all of which resulted in minor to moderate injuries.  According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), pedestrians represent 18% of all traffic related fatalities and almost 5% of all traffic related injuries.  In 2008 almost 650 pedestrians were killed in California and over 13,000 were injured, according to OTS.

 

Rare Tornado Warning in Belmont

A TORNADO WARNING WAS HOISTED FOR SAN MATEO COUNTY FOR A BREIF TIME. SEE BRIEFING BELOW. THE WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT

AT 1111 AM PDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TOINDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR BELMONT…MOVINGNORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO FOSTER CITY AND REDWOOD CITY

Tornado5_OPT

The National Weather Service issued a rare tornado warning for San Mateo County.  The warning included the cities of San Mateo, San Carlos, Redwood City, Millbrae, Foster City, Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough and Belmont and lasted about a half hour.

The have been no official sightings of a funnel clouds or tornadoes according to the NWS. There have been many lightening strikes along the Peninsula as well as heavy downpours. 

Watch Live Radar

The weather pattern continued to have the potential to become dangerous throughout Friday afternoon. The warning was issued at 11:02 a.m. with winds moving northeast at 40 mph, according to the NWS.

As of 11:32 a.m. it is traveling east from Oakland and expected to cross the East Bay city of Alamo by 12:03 p.m. and a minute later in San Ramon. By 12:31 p.m. it is suppose to cross Antioch.

The warning expired by 11:40 a.m. but the strong weather pattern held over, according to Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service.

"The activity is slowly moving to the South," he said. "It is moving to the South Bay and San Jose within the next hour."

Anderson said the National Weather Service rarely issues tornado warnings for the Bay Area but when they are issued, residents should seek shelter and stay indoors.

 

Belmont Pedestrian Decoy “STING” Operation


The Belmont Police Department, in cooperation with, Millbrae, Burlingame, Foster City, San Mateo Police Departments, the San Mateo County Sheriff's San Carlos Police Bureau & the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a joint Pedestrian Decoy Operation on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 in the City of Belmont.  The Belmont operation will be conducted between 8:30 AM and 2:00 PM at several intersections in Belmont. 

[official story continued below]

EDITORIAL COMMENT: I poke fun at this piece but I literally sit near the crosswalk in front of our RE/MAX office next door to Vivace with our admin assistant and I watch day dreaming drivers nearly slaughter 30 pedestrians a day (her estimate not mine—she has a slightly better view).

And the pedestrians don’t help the matter. They wait until a car is barreling down upon them and set out in front of the oncoming car as if the crosswalk afforded them some sort of "force-field" protection from a ton of metal on four wheels at 30 mph with an oblivious operator at the helm–or not.

In my opinion both camps are to blame. I did a piece on this issue when they first installed the flashing lights on the street.

Many pedestrians approach this with an argument “Hey, it’s the law, the cars must stop when I’m in the crosswalk so I’ll just set right out and cross whenever I want to”, as if to tempt or defy Darwin’s evolution theory of survival of the fittest; and they don’t look first either. How else could a pedestrian get hit by a car except for stepping out when they probably shouldn’t while not paying attention?

PEDESTRIANS–Wait for the light at Alameda to turn red and all the cars will start slowing down anyway, and then hit the flashing light and cross the street once you are SURE the cars will stop. Unless it’s pouring rain, it’s the courteous thing to do and what you’d like a pedestrian to do when you are out of your shoes and into theirs—pedal to the metal.

DRIVERS–Now it’s not the fault of the cars it’s the drivers who are usually not paying attention. Focused with the tunnel vision seen only under the most stressful of situations they are glued to the mesmerizingly colorful traffic signal at the intersection of Alameda as if willing it to stay green will work—if they just stare at it hard enough. This is done all the while making dinner plans on their cell phones of course. They invariably miss the flashing crosswalk lights and fortunately the miss the pedestrians too—if only by a few inches.

Now much of this could be resolved if the city simply moved the crosswalk to the next block east near the video store and handed out "how to cross the street" pamphlets. You see the corner of our RE/MAX building harbors a blind spot to on coming west bound suburbanites and affords a perfect location for daring or unwitting pedestrians to hide before making their startling presence in the crosswalk just milliseconds after actuating the warning lights—sometimes performed with the adeptness of a track and field star. But don’t they use a closed course?

 

Police personnel in plain clothes will be used to cross the roadways in marked crosswalks, while motorcycle officers will watch for pedestrian right of way violations.  Motorists failing to yield the right of way to the pedestrian will be stopped and may be issued a citation under section 21950 of the California Vehicle Code. 

"Our goal is to raise drivers' awareness of their responsibility to stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks," explained Sergeant Mike Braké of the Belmont Police Department.  "This is an opportunity to educate the motoring public on pedestrian right of way and related traffic laws", continued Sgt. Braké [and increase our city coffers]. 

The departments will carry out enforcement of pedestrian right of way violations on a continuous basis and will continue to work together on future pedestrian decoy events in their respective cities.

 

Belmont Youth Hits Power Pole on Mezes

  Belmont
 
 

BELMONT POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

Pursuant to California Government Code § 6254(f)

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Type of Incident:   Non-Injury Traffic Collision Knocks out Power       Case #: 1102-0002

 

Location:  2000 Blk Mezes Ave, Belmont                                                Date: 2/1/11    Time:  0845hrs

____________________________________________________________________________________

EVENT

A pick-up truck collided with a utility pole this morning, knocking out electrical service to a Belmont neighborhood.  There were no injuries, but approx. 200 customers lost power as a result of the collision. The cause of the collision is under investigation, but the following is known at this time.

 

At approx. 8:45am, a Chevrolet pick-up driven by a 17-year old Belmont youth, was westbound in the 2000 block of Mezes Ave, when the vehicle collided with a utility pole.  The pole broke in half as a result of the impact, bringing down live power lines onto the street.  Belmont Police, Belmont-San Carlos Fire and PG&E crews responded to the scene and secured the lines.  The driver was not injured and no other vehicles were involved. 

 

PG&E crews will be working throughout the day to erect a new utility pole and restore service to the neighborhood.  It is anticipated that electrical service will be restored by this evening.

 

 

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By:  Lieutenant Patrick Halleran                                                      Authorized By:  Captain Dan DeSmidt

Date:  2/1/11    Time:  1500hrs                                                         Date:  2/1/11    Time:  1500hrs

Publish

 

Orion in the night sky in Belmont

Just thought I’d share this with everyone.

Orionweather 

We’ve always enjoyed astronomy and love it when there’s a new moon and we can get a good look at the night sky.

In Belmont, we’re pretty close to the city (San Francisco) and get a lot of city light which tends to wash-out the night sky.

If we look south-south-west however it’s much darker as we’re looking towards the Santa Cruz mountain range.

When I got up early this morning I had to grab my camera and capture one of my favorite constellations—Orion.

This was taken today, October 9th 2010 just after six in the morning.

I used our Nikon D70 with a shutter speed of 30” at f4.8 and ISO of 1600.

Belmont’s Greek Festival at the Church of the Holy Cross 2010

It’s that time of the year again for the Greek Festival in Belmont.

Each Labor Day weekend the Greek Orthodox Church hosts its annual Greek Festival at the Church of the Holy Cross at the corner of Ralston Avenue and Alameda de las Pulgas. This year, the Greek Festival in Belmont will be on Saturday, Sunday and Monday September 4th-6th 2010 from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM. If you love to try great food and spirits you’ll be in heaven. The Greek Festival never disappoints when it comes to entertainment for the whole family.

As an advertiser of the Greek Festival, we have complimentary tickets for you and your family. Simply use this form to request your tickets and we’ll get them to you A.S.A.P.

Greece 

Here’s some more information on the event from their web site…

Find the meaning of kefi (joy) in this three-day true Greek extravaganza. The Belmont Greek Festival will feature delicious Greek meals and desserts, nonstop music and dancing, exciting exhibition folk dancing, choral folk singing, a captivating mythology play, a fun children’s amusement area, and children’s entertainer Andy Z.

Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend, festival organizers said. All guests will receive a special 40th Anniversary commemorative program book containing articles about Greek culture, recipes, Greek language phrases, information about the festival’s history and photos from past festivals.

“Greeks are famous for their hospitality,” said Festival Co-Chair Gary Brenner. “Our Belmont festival was the first Greek festival in Northern California, and we’re so proud to welcome guests of all ages to our 40th celebration weekend.

“It all starts with lots of fantastic, mouth-watering food and drink,” Brenner continued, “and it keeps on going with the fun and excitement of our dancing, music and theater. Before you know it, you’ll be shouting, ‘Opa!’ just like the Greeks.”

Some of the favorite festival menu items will include souvlakia (Greek shish-kebab), barbecued lamb chops (with special Greek seasonings), spanakopita (spinach and cheese stuffed inside layers of filo pastry) and dolmades (grape leaves wrapped around ground beef and rice). Not forgetting the best Greek salad west of Athens, and roast lamb – the festival will feature 10 spit-roasted whole lambs turned for hours by hand before visitors’ eyes!

There will also be traditional homemade Greek pastries such as loukoumades (doughnut holes covered with honey), baklava (layers of nuts and filo pastry soaked in honey), kourambiedes (crescent-shaped butter cookies covered with powdered sugar) and galactobouriko (filo pastry filled with custard and covered with syrup).

Visit the taverna to sample Greek libations such as ouzo (anise-flavored aperitif), retsina wine and Metaxa brandy, and enjoy special wine tastings featuring Greek and American labels. Draft microbrewery beer and bottled Greek beer will also be offered to complement your meal, or just enjoy a glass sitting on the plaka (central plaza) while watching fellow visitors dance.

Cooking demonstrations will be offered daily – learn the secrets of Greek cooking and bring the benefits of a Mediterranean diet home!

Visitors also will enjoy continuous music from a live Greek band so they can dance the traditional kalamatiano, tsamiko, zeimbekiko and other Greek dances. The amazing “Sons of Ulysses” will dazzle the audience by lifting tables and chairs with nothing but their teeth!

In addition, several award-winning folk dance groups will perform throughout the weekend in their colorful, hand-made costumes. In an outdoor amphitheater reminiscent of the ancient theaters of Greece, children and adults alike will enjoy a special drama production featuring the heroes and villains of Greek mythology. The popular Festival Singers and Folk Ensemble will also perform Greek folk songs in the amphitheater.

Look for the Fun Zone children’s area in the shadow of the windmill, boasting games, rides, bouncy castles, crafts and more, just for young people. Don’t miss nationally-known children’s favorite Andy Z, a local singer-songwriter-guitarist who brings his award-winning show to the amphitheater on Saturday and Monday.

Tours of the award-winning Byzantine-style church, including the recently-installed mosaic iconography, will be given throughout the weekend, and the Holy Cross Church Liturgical Choir will sing during the church tour on Sunday at 2:00 PM.

Speak Greek? Visit the Greek Language School’s cultural booth, malista (yes)! Other festival highlights will include art, clothing, jewelry and gift boutiques, as well as religious icons and a bookstore.

The Church of the Holy Cross supports many charitable groups throughout San Mateo County, and each year, the church donates a portion of the festival proceeds to several local charities. Previous recipients of festival donations have included Samaritan House, Interfaith Network for Community Help (INCH), Children’s Advocacy Council, local schools and churches and the Belmont mayor’s choice of charity. In addition, Holy Cross Church sponsors several children from the Children’s Receiving Home of San Mateo County as special guests of the festival.

The hours of the Belmont Greek Festival are Saturday, September 4, and Sunday, September 5, from Noon to 10 PM, and on Monday, September 6, from Noon to 8 PM. The Fun Zone for children closes at 7:00 PM all three days. The Agora (our "White Elephant" room) closes at 6:00 PM all three days.

Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for seniors and youth ages 13-17. Children 12 and under are admitted free, accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For more information, explore their website further, or call (650) 591-4447. Yassou!

Garbage Strike Hits Belmont and San Carlos

What's that wafting about in Belmont? The rumblings sure aren’t from the Allied Garbage trucks but rather disgruntled garbage workers.Trash

If you live in Belmont you must have heard, if you haven't smelled it yet, that the garbage strike has left San Carlos and Belmont’s waste removal program canned for the time being. Apparently the garbage workers decided to strike when contract negotiation broke down with Allied Waste–while it’s actually the truck drivers who joined their co-worked in a showing of solidarity that stalled the pick-ups.

The only thing worse than the stench of garbage sitting on the curb for days is the foul way it was handled by the Allied Waste management.

Wednesday night at 11:05 we received two phone calls, courtesy of Allied Waste, telling us our garbage would be picked up on Friday. Couldn’t they have waited until morning? Pick-up would be for two more days. Another wasted opportunity to demonstrate customer service.

So if you’ve got the blues thinking your neighborhood is going downhill with trash littering the street take heart, Allied promises to dump their current strategy and resume pick-ups soon.

 

 

 

What’s that big Blimp doing in the Bay Area sky?

Look, It’s a bird, it’s a plan no it’s a Dirigible?

Actually it's not a blimp at all. Look to the skies on a calm day around the Bay Area and you just might spot the world’s largest Zeppelin in your neighborhood. Ventures What’s it doing here? It was the brain child of Brian and Alex Hall to offer sightseeing flights around the Bay area. This lofty business venture got its start in 2006 when Brian first rode in a Zeppelin while in Germany and immediately was hooked. First, an order needed to be place for only the fourth Zeppelin NT in the world. Then, just two years later on October 23, 2008 the Zeppelin “Venture” was launched from Moffet field. This isn’t your mother ship Hindenburg; it’s filled with Helium instead of Hydrogen and uses gas engines to propel itself through the skies at lightning speeds up to 35 MPH. The Zeppelin NT07 airship can carry up to 12 passengers and is the largest airship flying in the US. At 246 feet in length, it is more than 50 feet longer than the largest blimp. IMAGE_330 It uses inert gas helium for lift, and vectored thrust engines for flight. So what’s the difference between a Blimp and a Zeppelin? Blimps are non rigid dirigibles and Zeppelins are rigid (and can carry more passengers). The Hindenburg by contrast was much larger and filled with Hydrogen (an extremely volitile gas). At 805 ft long, it could carry 73 passengers and flew at a blazing 80 MPH. Oh, and any DIRECT-IBLE flying machine can be called a dirigible.

 

(I took this picture out of my sunroof while in San Mateo)