By Gary Stoller, USA Today

San Diego-based frequent flier Saul Klein started traveling 22 years ago and estimates he has spent more than 17,500 hours — at least two years — waiting around.

He counts among his waiting time standing in security lines, checking in for flights and hotels, waiting to board or get off planes, and waiting for luggage and car rental shuttles.

Yes, the time maybe could be better spent. But strategies to reduce the amount of wasted time or take advantage of down time have “become old and boring,” says Klein, a senior vice president in the software development industry.

“I used to read a lot while traveling,” he says, “but not as much in recent years.”

Klein and other travelers who seek to better use their down travel time may want to look to some of the strategies employed by frequent flier Jason Womack, a productivity and performance adviser and author of a new book, “Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More”.

Womack, who flew on 140 flights last year and trains for triathlons and long-distance races while traveling, is well-practiced at knowing how to eliminate wasted time during trips — so much so that he almost welcomes flight delays and the time spent waiting around.

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By Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee

Noam Chomsky is rubbing spines with Ann Coulter. The Amish and Mennonites share space, presumably peacefully, with the Salem witches. Henry James and Henry Kissinger stand sternly side by side looking off at some fixed point, their visages oozing importance.

All over The Bookery, a wonderfully eclectic literary treasure on Main Street in Placerville popular with tourists and locals alike, tomes of every subject matter and ideology imaginable (about 300,000 titles by unofficial count) are crammed into a labyrinthine, M.C. Escher-like 1,800-square-foot building.

People have been known to get lost amid the stacks and, thus, late to their Tahoe reservations, but that’s one of the charms of the place. For 30 years – the last 28 under the ownership of fast friends Nancy Dunk and Celia Lux, and their trusty black lab, Abby – The Bookery has served as something of a rabbit hole of knowledge into which those wanting to feed their heads can tumble.

Nothing is too esoteric or prosaic for this used – but hardly used-up – bookstore. There are sections on beekeeping and blacksmithing, whole shelves devoted to “Sea Disasters” and “Urban Legends.” To show just how well The Bookery knows its clientele, there even is a self-referential “Books on Books” display located near the restroom.

Oh, and about that bathroom: Yeah, there are shelves of books there, too, because hardcore bibliophiles want to peruse even when they use the facilities.

But the bathroom’s big draw, what often draws giggles of delight, is the motif. Glued, jigsawlike, onto the four walls and ceiling are bookmarks, scraps of paper, cancelled checks, photos, even high school graduation programs.

“Those are all things we found in the books the first few years we started buying them,” Dunk said. “People love that. We worried that we’d have to spend more money on toilet paper, because it’s such a big draw.”

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By Kathryn Reed

Ah, it’s baseball season. Pitchers and catchers for the San Francisco Giants reported to spring training in Scottsdale on Saturday. Position players report Thursday. The first full workout is Friday.

Each winter it’s a ritual in our house to watch baseball movies to fill the void between the last out of the World Series and first crack of the bat for the new season.

Instead of our normal line up, we rented something new. “Baseball: The Tenth Inning” is a film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. It will get you ready for the 2012 season – all four-plus hours. The documentary is so long it comes on two discs. I would have been fine with it being longer.

This movie is essentially a follow-up to Burns’ 1994 movie “Baseball”. It picks up in the 1990s and goes until just before the film came out in 2010.

From the film’s website, “In an age of globalization, deregulation and speculation, the film demonstrates that baseball has continued to be a mirror of the country – at its best and at its worst. The film also movingly shows that when America felt most threatened, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, baseball offered common ground, providing Americans with solace, distraction, and the hope that things could one day return to normal.”

The film doesn’t gloss over the steroid infused players, the strike, and the Boston-New York rivalry. With there being so many facets to the world of baseball, many segments could have been four-hour documentaries on their own – like the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The whole issue of Bill James transforming baseball through nontraditional stats was barely touched on. One has to read “Moneyball” to get that full story.

Still, “Baseball: The Tenth Inning” is a must-see for anyone who calls themselves a fan of baseball.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will recognize recipients of the 2011 Best in the Basin Awards at its Governing Board meeting Feb. 22 in Stateline.

This is the 22nd year TRPA’s Best in the Basin awards program has recognized projects demonstrating exceptional planning, design, and compatibility with the Lake Tahoe environment. Local professionals in the fields of landscaping, planning, engineering, water quality, and resource management judged each category.

Van Sickle Bi-state Park is the recipient of a Best in Basin award. Photo/LTN file

The winners are:

Residential BMPs

Robert Marshall for the Marshall Residence BMP Retrofit and Defensible Space Project, 160 Marlette Drive, Tahoe City.

New Commercial Project

Vail Resorts for the LEED-certified Tamarack Lodge, Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Restoration Project

South Lake Tahoe for the Upper Truckee River Restoration, middle reach adjacent to the Lake Tahoe Airport.

Erosion Control Project

Placer County Department of Public Works for the Lake Forest Erosion Control, Stream and Habitat Restoration Project/

Public Service Project

Caltrans for the Highway 28 Environmental Improvement Program Project between Kings Beach and Carnelian Bay.

Forest Fuel Reduction Project

Dennis and Ginger Maloney for the Maloney Residence Healthy Forest, Community Fuel Reduction and Defensible Space Project, Wild Rose Drive, Tahoe Vista.

Recreation Project

California Tahoe Conservancy and Nevada Division of State Parks for the Van Sickle Bi-State Park in Stateline and South Lake Tahoe.

Green Building Project

Jeff and Karolina Miller for the Miller Residence, 1085 Mill Creek Road, Incline Village.

New Residential Project

Domus Development LLC, Meea Kang, President, for the Kings Beach Housing Now Dispersed Workforce Housing Project, Fox and Brook streets, Kings Beach.

Residential Modification Project

Ann and Lee Schweichler for the Schweichler Residence 8375 Meeks Bay Ave., Meeks Bay.

Residential Rebuild Project

Roger and Darlene Rempfer for the Rempfer Residence Rebuild, 5019 California St., Carnelian Bay.

More than 200 people attended the 58th annual Community Awards hosted by the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce/CVB/Resort Association at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe to recognize the outstanding achievements of many local residents.

Art Chapman, president and chairman of JMA Ventures, received the Citizen of the Year Award for his dynamic leadership in the $500 million redevelopment planned for Homewood Mountain Resort on the West Shore.

Longtime North Lake Tahoe resident and business owner Dave Wilderotter of Tahoe Dave’s was awarded the Distinguished Community Service Award for his significant economic and volunteer contributions to the area.

The Large Business of the Year went to Squaw Valley for its $50 million renaissance, merger with Alpine Meadows, news pass products, complimentary shuttles connecting the two ski resorts, as well as it community involvement and contributions.

Alpenglow Sports took home Small Business of the Year for hosting and sponsoring events to provide awareness of North Lake Tahoe’s backcountry skiing, as well as its significant involvement with the Tahoe City Downtown Association.

Nonprofit Achievement was presented to Project Mana, an integral part of the North Lake Tahoe community providing hunger relief for many families since 1991. The organization has also invested in the region’s youth, working collaboratively with local elementary schools to supplement health curriculum with hands-on nutritional activities, as well as hosting Kids Can Cook, which teaches kids about kitchen safety and nutrition.

The Regional Marketing Award was given to Northstar for providing an exceptional snow product via their considerable investment in snowmaking; media attention of its North Face Super Pipe, designed by Olympic-gold medalist Shaun White; new terrain, the Promised Land, and mid-mountain lodge Zephyr Lodge; as well as its use of social media and photography, allowing other partners to push this snow message to consumers.

The Public Servant of the Year Award was presented jointly to Chief Michael Brown of the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Chief John Pang of the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District, Chief Duane Whitelaw of the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Chief Mark Shadowens of the Northstar Fire Department and Chief Pete Bansen of the Squaw Valley Fire Department. The five departments work collaboratively together with mutual aid and automatic aid agreements, as well as provide aid resources (engines) for large fires throughout California and Nevada.

The Hospitality Award was given to the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe for meticulously exceeding guest expectations, while maintaining an impeccable standard of excellence and securing Lake Tahoe’s first five-diamond hotel rating of luxury.

Keep the Sierra Green presented the Green Business Award to Mamasake and Austin’s Restaurant for recyclable, energy-efficient and sustainable programs.

The Placer County-Lake Tahoe Film Office also recognized community members, with the Film Commission Outstanding Support for Film and Media Production presented to Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows and the North Tahoe Fire Protection District.

A number of volunteers were recognized and included Ed Miller of the Tahoe City Public Utility District, Chuck Greene of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Advisory Planning Council, Todd and Linda Willard of the North Tahoe Business Association, Trudy Lesem of the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society, Carol Heinricy of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Larry Bienati of Sierra State Parks Foundation and Dina Marshall of Tahoe SAFE Alliance.

Outstanding employees getting top honors included Jeff Cowen of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; Shaun Chilkotowsky of the Tahoe City Public Utility District; Pat Greenlaw of the Sierra Sun; Kevin MacMillan of the Sierra Sun and North Lake Tahoe Bonanza; Northstar snowmaking team; Tim Rantz of Homewood Mountain Resort; Jamie Olson of the Tahoe City Downtown Association; Tom Baird of Tahoe City Marina; Martin Hernandez of Granlibakken Resort; Martha Vivas and Greg Whitlow of the Resort at Squaw Creek; Deb Stansell, Sara Coustette, Jenn Baker and Elaine VanFossen of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows; Andrew Ariansen and Austin Wolf of the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe; as well as Dan Hauserman and Russ Baruh of Hauserman Real Estate.

Lake Tahoe News Publisher Kathryn Reed will be discussing the role of online media and community journalism at a March 5 forum sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Pen Women group.

The event begins at 7pm at Bona Fide HQ, 1069 Magua St., No. 4, Meyers off Highway 50 behind the Getaway Café. It is free.

Reed, who is in her third decade as a journalist, has been in the news business since before she graduated from college in 1988.

Lake Tahoe News is the only source for news about Lake Tahoe seven days week and is strictly online. It has been delivering news to people in more than 100 countries and more than 2,000 cities since Labor Day 2009.

The National League of American Pen Women is an organization comprised of women writers, artists and musicians, whose purpose is to foster and provide support to women engaged in letters, arts and music, and to serve as a community resource in the arts.

Pen Women was founded in 1897 as an alternative to the all-male Press Club with headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Darell G. Bricker passed away at his home in Gardnerville on Feb. 15, 2012, in the loving arms of his wife after a long and courageous battle. He was 82.

Darell, a resident of Gardnerville since 1997, was born June 29, 1929, in Seymour, Mo., to Harvey and Mayme Bricker. He married Mary “Liz” Arnold on Sept. 30, 1950, in Carson City. They had two children: Ronald Gene and Debra Kathleen.

A celebration of life for Darell will be at 11am March 10 at the Carson Valley United Methodist Church, 1375 Centerville Lane, Gardnerville.

Darell G. Bricker

Darell joined the U.S. Navy in 1948 and served on board the USS Volador SS-490 for most of the four years he was in the military during the Korean War. After returning home, he soon went to work for the Federal Aviation Agency in air traffic, with duties stateside and ending with 15 years in Alaska. During his first few years with the FAA he also studied in pursuit of a degree in electronic engineering.

After retiring from FAA, he followed many paths. In Corvallis, Ore., Darell was known as Farmer DB. He loved tomatoes and grew as many as he could on his half acre of land. Next, in Manteca, he loved converting vehicles to run on propane. Then in Gardnerville, he took up sewing machine repair and very reluctantly stopped due to his ill health. He thoroughly enjoyed everything he set his mind to do.

Known by many names during his lifetime, Darell was a proud Son, Brother, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, Uncle and Friend. To know Darell was to love him. He had many friends near and far. He will be sorely missed by one and all.

Darell was preceded in death by son Ronald; parents Harvey and Mayme; and brothers Harold, Charles and Donald.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years Mary “Liz” of Gardnerville; daughter Debra (Tony) Howard of South Lake Tahoe; daughter-in-law Pam Bricker of Stateline; granddaughter Alicia (Gary) Miller of Santa Cruz; grandsons Bret Howard of San Francisco and Scott Bricker of South Lake Tahoe; great-granddaughters Corynn and Ashley Bricker of South Lake Tahoe and great-grandson Merrick Miller of Santa Cruz; sister Frances (George) Lowe of Sonora; sister-in-law Marty (Lloyd) Mitchell of Lodi.

Arrangements are in the care of Capital City Cremation. Memorial contributions can be made to the charity of your choice or the American Heart Association, Carson Valley United Methodist Church (where Darell was a member) or the Dialysis Clinic Inc. in Carson City or Gardnerville.

North Lake Tahoe celebrates its long winter season with SnowFest, a 10-day carnival March 2-11 at a variety of venues.

New events for the 31st annual gathering have been added, including the Snow Fiesta in Kings Beach with its mariachi bands, authentic Mexican food served a la carte and piñatas; the Snow “What” Building Contest, where contestants build their most creative snow display; the Truckee River Winery Ice Carving Extravaganza with ice sculptures and games; as well as the adults-only Paws & Claws Pub Crawl starting in Incline Village and ending at the historic Crystal Bay casino corridor.

The annual favorites are back, along with expanded special events, including the Opening Night Ceremonies, Laser Show, Torchlight Parade and Fireworks at Squaw Valley (March 2), which has partnered with World Champion medalist and former alpine ski racer Daron Rahlves. Rahlves and his Olympic buddies will officially kick off SnowFest with the Rahlves’ Banzai Tour at the Opening Night Ceremonies. The tour, scheduled for March 3-4, is a race that combines mountain freeride action with ski and boarder-cross strategy in a mad-dash race with stops at regional ski resorts with the winner taking home a significant cash prize.

Also scheduled for 2012 is the Mamasake Extreme Food Challenge for those with a strong stomach; 22nd annual Gar Woods Polar Bear Swim in Tahoe’s frigid waters; SnowFest Parades in Tahoe City and Kings Beach; Sunnyside Luau on the West Shore; the Great Ski Race, a 30-kilometer cross country race from Tahoe City to Truckee; Tahoe City’s Wacky Winter Human Bowling with snow saucers and inflatable pins and “Dog Pull”; the Dummy Downhill at Diamond Peak in Incline Village; the highly creative and 24th annual Snow Sculpture Contest at Tahoe City’s River Ranch Lodge; Special Olympics Polar Plunge at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe; and the 4th annual Ta-Hoe Nalu Arctic Standup Paddleboard Race in Kings Beach.

For more information about SnowFest and a complete list of events, go online.

Nativa is the perfect puppy for those who want a big, goofy, yet gentle pet. She is just 7 months old and about 50 pounds now. She will grow into those paws and that big head and probably end up between 80 and 85 pounds.

Our best guess is that she’s a St. Bernard/Labrador mix. Nativa is house trained, loves to play with other dogs, and she didn’t chase the cats that she met at the shelter. Her tail never stops wagging and she loves to give kisses.

Nativa is spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats (including other puppies and kittens) who are waiting for their new homes.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

By Jan Ferris Heenan, Sacramento Bee

It could easily have been a two-Tylenol day when Jill Brackmann’s 83-year-old mother had to pack up her Carmichael home of 55 years last spring. The house sold within a week, mom was in a wheelchair and a lifetime of memories was stashed in rafters and closets.

Instead, Joan MacTaggart’s big move turned out to be a party of sorts, said Brackmann, an only child who lives in south Sacramento.

“We had a bottle of wine and ordered pizza. People stopped by all day,” she recalled. “My mother, who’s very coherent, said, ‘I kept waiting to be sad and I wasn’t,’ and it was because Lee took care of the business so we could process the emotions. If I had had to be responsible for everything in her house, it would not have been that way.”

The Brackmanns contracted with Lee Mahla, a professional organizer whose Sacramento company, Get OrderLee, specializes in helping seniors downsize their households and move – usually into independent or assisted-living facilities. As baby boomers age, and live ever longer, the number of companies like Mahla’s is on the upswing, both nationally and across the Sacramento region.

The National Association of Senior Move Managers started with 22 members in 2002, tripled by 2006 and now counts nearly 700 companies in the United States, as well as start-ups in Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, according to Mary Kay Buysse, executive director.

“The demographics are just so compelling; 10,000 (American) baby boomers turn 65 every day,” said Buysse, from her suburban Chicago headquarters. “It’s not an easy time for the older adults or for the family when mom or dad is told by the physician that they can’t live alone anymore. It used to be such a crisis point for the family. Not as much anymore.”

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