Other gardens featured are the Hester Creek Farms of Art and Ann Fitinghoff; Terrace Hill House, owned by Forrest and Sandra Hill; Redwood Hills Gardens of Milton and Joan Barber; and the garden of Marjorie Cassel, rife with unusual flowers and plants.

Brunch in the community center will be served between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Garden-related items will be for sale. Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the event. Tour tickets are good for both days. Brunch is $10 prepaid or $12 at the door. Children's tickets are half those prices.

For tickets the contact is Michele Witten at mtnsource@starband.net or 408.353.8025. Volunteers working three­four-hour shifts will receive a free tour ticket.

ITALIAN ODYSSEY: Marco P. Zecchin is a fine-art photographer who has just published a book titled The Spirit of Northern Italy about his odyssey back to his ancestral home in northern Italy. Childhood memories and his father's stories were locked in the land and buildings of that country.

The book is the photographic journal of his 10-year quest to mesh his past with his present. "I see the creative process as a prayer for understanding. Each photograph challenges us ... to look deeper into ourselves and explore and accept what makes each of us unique," Zecchin says.

The photographer was raised in Los Gatos, having moved here in '59, and worked on the yearbook at LGHS. His first shutter forays were in Oak Meadow Park: he sold his first photo at 13. At that age he heard Ansel Adams speak and took to heart what the master photographer had to say about expressing one's feelings through photography.

Zecchin will open his studio at 16815 Farley Road as part of Silicon Valley Open Studios the first three weekends in May. He'll speak at the Italian American Heritage Foundation in San Jose on May 16. His number is 408.356.8542.

PREMIERE: A new work by Monte Serenan Lee Actor, Overture to a Tragedy, was presented in two performances last weekend by the Palo Alto Philharmonic, of which Actor is assistant conductor. He's held that position since '01 and is composer in residence as well.

Composer/conductor Actor has advanced degrees in both music composition and engineering and has won several awards for his compositions. He was recently honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers with the ASCAPlus Award.

CARNEGIE HALL CALLS: Peggy Conaway's son-in-law, Troy Peters, has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in September. Peters is conductor of the Vermont Youth Orchestra in Burlington, and he has a strong collaboration with Trey Anastasio, guitarist and lead singer of the rock group Phish.

Phish is so popular and omnipresent these days that ice cream makers Ben and Jerry, also of Vermont, named one of their latest flavors Phish Food. Peters has collaborated with Anastasio by converting the rock star's compositions into orchestral form. The result is a new CD called Seis de Mayo.

The Peters piece is "Guyute," performed by the Seattlemusic Orchestra, directed by Peters. "I wouldn't be surprised to see it as a movie score someday," the library director says. The Seattle orchestra specializes in film work and did the score for Mr. Holland's Opus.

"This is music for the morning after, inducing a calming and contemplative mood. Listening to it is a bit like thumbing through photo albums of trips to exotic places," said one review.

The other creative work from the Peters, due out in May, and orchestrated by Anne Conaway Peters, will be Peggy Conaway's first grandchild.

DEADLINE NEAR: You can still be part of Los Gatos/Monte Sereno history by buying a commemorative brick for the Lyndon Bandstand in Oak Meadow Park. Bricks are $150 and can contain a maximum of eight words. The contact is Paul Dubois, 340 University Ave., or by mail to LGCF, P.O. Box 1089, Los Gatos 95031.

Besides lending enhancement to the bandstand, the bricks benefit the Los Gatos Community Foundation, the major agency in town that aids cultural nonprofits.

ROWING VICTORS: The Los Gatos Rowing Club was victorious in 10 out of 17 races it crewed at the recent Windermere Collegiate Crew Classic, an invitational rowing regatta held in Redwood City. Men and women from 15 colleges, plus local high school and community club teams, competed.

Stanford U. and Windermere Real Estate sponsored the two-day event. KPIX TV news anchor Dana King hosted the collegiate awards ceremony. King is part of the crew of the Marin Rowing Club and on Sunday was pitted in a race against the Los Gatos team, which Los Gatos won.

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