Short Takes Short Takes (October 20, 2004)

Hoo-ah! What a car

Next to the tango number, the most memorable scene in "Scent of a Woman" was when the blind character played by Al Pacino drives a Mondial Ferrari. The Ferrari, now owned by Atherton Councilman Charles Marsala, was out for a spin this weekend as part of a charity auction prize benefiting Canada College's scholarship fund. Mr. Marsala treated winning bidder Kathy Garver to lunch at Carpaccio's in Menlo Park and dessert in Capitola, with a Ferrari ride in between.

Another Hollywood connection: Ms. Garver played Cissy in the 1960s TV series "Family Affair," Mr. Marsala says.

This old museum

A small ceremony was held on Saturday dedicating the main room of the Woodside Community Museum to the late Jeanne Dickey, credited with convincing local historic preservationists to save the old Mathisen farmhouse from the wrecking ball and give it new life as a local history museum.

Ms. Dickey, former member of the Woodside Town Council as well as the town History Committee, didn't live to see the project completed, but a plaque in the museum will now commemorate her efforts, or, as History Committee member Thalia Lubin puts it, "for kicking us in our butts and making us do it."

These old houses

The land is pricey, but in Woodside, occasionally the houses are free. While they aren't architecturally prized mansions like the Daniel C. Jackling house that Steve Jobs is trying to give away, there are a couple of cute wooden houses in central Woodside that are up for grabs. Jack Bariteau says the guest cottage-sized houses, built in 1926, are slated for deconstruction at the end of this month, but he is willing to give them away to someone willing to act quickly. He warns that the cottages are not in great shape -- they have mold and dry rot. For information, call him at 614-6245.

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