Monday mural: mosaic man

This warehouse in Jingletown is decorated with mosaic murals that have evolved over the past few years.  They use several sizes and shapes of tile including mirror tiles that add both sparkle and definition.  I couldn't find a signature but hope someone will fill me in.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Happy New Year.

vinyl nirvana

If you're looking for vinyl records from new and vintage bands, this is your place.  Originating in Seattle in 2001 and transplanting to Oakland in 2003, 1-2-3-4 Go! focuses primarily on indie and punk music.  In 2008 they opened a retail store in the Temescal area, where they also host live concerts.  They've also branched out with their own record label.  Check out the website just to read the band names; they're a hoot.  I'm so out of it, I have no idea who any of these performers are.  But I like the idea of a home grown label.  If you follow various links, you'll also get to hear samples of some of the music.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Christmas spirit

Someone was in the mood for Christmas.  And apparently Thanksgiving too.

ABC Wednesday: X is for Xolo

Welcome to Xolo (and you thought I wouldn't find an X!).  It is a newish taqueria owned by the same people who own the popular Doña Tomás.  Who wouldn't love the periwinkle walls and harlequin floors.

The Yelp reviews tout the el vampiro taco, which I had to try.  It has marinated pork with a red sauce and the usual cilantro and onion toppers.  Delicious; but three bucks for a taco is pricey compared to the dollar and a quarter you pay at most taco trucks around town.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Happy Holidays

Sending best wishes to all of you.

Monday Mural: Oakland Riviera

Jingletown attracts artists and kindred souls.  A collaborative effort among them created multiple murals along this wall.  Drolly named the "Oakland Riviera" (referencing the estuary that runs the length of the neighborhood), this section of mural captures the local view.  These murals line a dog run dubbed rue de merde.  On the left you can see a glimpse of the section dedicated to local canine friends.  It's always interesting to visit this wall, as the murals continue to change and be refined.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Also, wishing you all happy holidays.

holiday reflection

This is part of the annual holiday lights display at Mt. View Cemetery.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

W is for Whiskeydrome

The Whiskeydrome is a group of guys who like to build stuff.  They made this in homage to the traveling velodromes that amazed folks with their daring-do early in the 20th century.  Here they impress the crowds at the annual Pedalfest in Jack London Square.  This photo was taken in August.  Today it's sunny but cold and we're all shivering in our boots.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: green eyes

This is a new mural in West Oakland just off Mandela Parkway.  It is a large collaboration between three artists.  This section is by Ernest Doty whom you've seen in a previous post.  There is something unsettling yet oddly compelling about these faces.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

behind the gauzy curtain

Spotted in Montclair Village.  The tree seems to reach to the clouds.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Monday Mural: V is for La Virgen de Guadalupe

This is a section of a mural devoted to the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Fruitvale district.  Her feast day in Mexico is December 12.  You'll find her image in murals, churches, tattoos, bumper stickers, tee shirts, and more.   She is ubiquitous and beloved in Latino communities.  Last year I posted a mosaic mural in honor of her day.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Also linked to ABC Wednesday.

painless tattoos

Spotted on San Pablo Avenue in the Golden Gate District.  I don't know, but the images seem a little contradictory.

U is for urban farm

While driving down Mandela Parkway I spied this cool chicken coop with quite a variety of chickens.  The picture is not as sharp as it could be because it was dusk and I had to shoot over a cyclone fence.  Urban farms are growing in Oakland and right now chickens are allowed but not roosters.  Funny, I could swear I've heard them crow in several spots around town.  Must be my imagination.  There's lots of debate about what other animals should be allowed and what should be guidelines for butchering.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

what is this?

Structures seen at Peralta Junction near sunset.  Don't know if they have a mechanical function but I saw them as sculptures.

Monday Mural: Peoples' Grocery

This mural adorns the back of the People's Grocery which recently opened in West Oakland.  It is another work by the Community Rejuvenation Project, frequently featured in Monday Mural.  The bright yellow is the sun breaking through the clouds.  I like the way the words of Wangari Maathai are highlighted.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week. 

blue bar

At the Oakland Airport.

T is for Temptation

A chocolate shop in Montclair Village.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Donut Time

Another vintage sign, this one found on MacArthur Blvd.  The neon tubing looks in tact but I've never seen it lit up.  The clock doesn't run; so I'm betting the neon isn't working either.

Monday Mural: Do NOT Park

This garage door mural is a companion piece to a second mural on the other side of the doorway.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

City Hall

City Hall reflected in three windows.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

cloudy but no rain

The local movie theater sign from a different angle.  On weekends, the sign is animated and full of color.  Previously shown here.  We've had rain this week but are expected to have mostly sunny days through the weekend.  Post is linked to Skywatch Friday.

more American Steel

Another of Karen Cusolito's monumental pieces.  Found at American Steel studios in West Oakland.

Monday Mural: third eye

Here's one last mural on canvas I'm showing from Peralta Junction.  I like the mystical vibe, the 3rd eye, and the essence vapors featured in this piece.  For some reason it makes me think of Jimi Hendrix, whose music continues to be magical.  This traveling carnival closes soon, and then all the murals that border the site will be taken down.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you'll find them everywhere.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

parklet

A couple of weeks ago I visited the inauguration at Manifesto Bicycles of Oakland's second permanent parklet.  The parklet movement is big in Oakland and San Francisco.  It essentially creates permanent mini public seating bumped out into what had been a parking spot.  This one had succulents planted behind the seating and a shaved tree limb reaching from the seats out to the sidewalk.  A band played and a neighboring brew pub offered libations.  Even the mayor showed up.  visit Our Oakland for a slideshow of the event.

Skywatch Friday: autumn display

The weather reports keep saying rain, but so far not.  Today the sky is a little cloudier but the autumn leaves are still with us.  We're not exactly Vermont, but colors can be found if you know where to look.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

yellow and blue

You can find ginkgo trees in the most unexpected locations.  This tree is on 26th street just below West St.  The yellow leaves next to the blue clapboard house is a pleasing site.

R is for Rooz Cafe

One of my favorite coffee houses.  An easy walk from the house, usually open tables, low noise, rotating art shows, and a great tuna salad sandwich.  What's not to like?  The fact that it just closed.  Supposedly another coffee house will open in its place.  There's another Rooz in town but that means getting in the car and driving.  I'd rather walk.  Linked with ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: myopic walrus

Another canvas mural from Peralta Junction.  Don't ask me what this has to do with an old timey "traveling midway of curiosities," but it is amusing.  Now that I think about it, a monocle toting walrus would be a curiosity.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Manifesto reflection

The window at Manifesto Bicycles on 40th St.  Love the font.  The reflection with the dash of red was a bonus.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Q is for quirky

We do quirky real well in Oakland.  This contraption was only one of several unusual wheeled vehicles at the summer Pedalfest in Jack London Square.  This is an annual event that promotes bikes and biking.  Often with tongue firmly in cheek.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: folk art design

We've all found murals on various surfaces---walls, freeway piers, utility boxes---why not on a mail box?  Spotted in East Oakland in the Allendale neighborhood.  The artist had fun painting so many colibrí among the flowers.  Such a cheery sight.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.&nbsp

Day of the Dead

Yesterday was the Day of the Dead.  In some countries it also is celebrated on November 2.  This small tableau can be found in the Oakland Museum's gift shop.

Shoreline Park

The first of each month is City Daily Photo's Theme Day.  This month's theme is "the water's edge."  This photo was taken at the southwestern end of the Oakland estuary which is being restored to marshland.  Despite a freeway being a few hundred yards to the east and the airport less than half a mile to the west, egrets nest, wade, forage, and just plain rest in this end of the estuary.  For more takes on the theme, visit City Daily Photo.

ABC Wednesday: P is for Pomo Indian

Last week I showed you the special Ohlone basket recently brought into the Oakland Museum's collection.  As part of the ceremony and celebration, a group of Pomo Indians performed sacred dances prior to the basket's presentation.   Linked to ABC Wednesday.

autumn decorations

Signs of the season.

Monday Mural: avian depression

Captured on a fabric wall surrounding Peralta Junction, a temporary art installation and community event in West Oakland.  Community developers and local artists have created a magical area on a previously empty lot where games, movies, and special events will occur until mid-December.  I recognize the artist's style but can't tell you his name.  Addendum:  I think this is by Cannon Dill.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Halloween parade

The annual Piedmont Avenue Halloween Parade is the Saturday before Halloween.  Adults have as much fun (or more) as the kids dressing up and walking about.  Last year Frida Kahlo was seen on the Avenue more than once.  I guess the unibrow was a popular look.  This year it was all about fairies.

out for a ride

This little guy was a whiz on his scooter.  He easily rode around the crowd without causing problems or irritation.  His fedora added a dashing touch of style to his appearance.  Spotted at the Black Cowboy Parade in West Oakland.

O is for Ohlone

The Ohlone Indians lived along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay for thousands of years before Europeans came to the area.  Ohlone baskets are extremely rare, in part due to the tribal practice of burning personal possession upon death.  The Oakland Museum commissioned Linda Yamane, a Rumsien Ohlone of the Monterey area, to make a basket for the museum's vast collection.  Featuring 20,000 stitches, several thousand feathers, and 1,200 handcrafted Olivella shell beads, the extremely rare basket took Yamane nearly three years to create.  It is believed that it has been 250 years since this type of ceremonial basket has been made.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Sara Lemmon

More California history found at Mt. View Cemetery.  Linked to Taphophile Tragics.

Monday Mural: post-apocalyptic giraffe

Throughout much of Oakland, utility boxes are canvases for local artists.  This one is located in the Uptown area and was captured during an Art Murmur event.  It looks like the giraffe wandered into a Godzilla movie.  Lots of detail and layering in this piece.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  Sorry about the delay.  It was due to a posting error.

N is for nautical

After a few days of rain, we're back to fair weather.  Still time to take the boat out on the bay while it's sunny.  Weather probably doesn't matter much to true sailors, in the same way it does to landlubbers like me.  Spotted at Embarcadero Cove.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: Peralta hacienda

The Peralta Hacienda Historic Park is the last remaining parcel related to a vast land grant that once included most of the East Bay.  As part of their education program is a series of murals showing the annual cycle of life on the rancho.  They were painted by Maren Vanduyn and installed in 2007.   She collaborated with the Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park’s executive director and Ohlone culture bearer Linda Yamane to conceive the murals.

While there are too many to present here, this close-up gives you a feeling of the detail included in the mural sequence.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

American Steel sculpture

"Ecstasy" was constructed by Karen Cusolito and Dan Das Mann in 2007 and used that year at Burning Man.  It stands 30 feet high and weighs 9 tons.  In 2010 the sculpture was installed for several months in a park in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood.  She now resides at the entrance of American Steel Studios in West Oakland where Cusolito has her work space and also rents studio and gallery space to over 100 artists and small businesses.

Cowboys in Oakland? Yep!

Saturday was the 38th annual parade organized by the Oakland Black Cowboy Association (OBCA).

The homespun parade was held at DeFremery Park in West Oakland and included high school ROTC drill teams, Girl Scouts, the Red Hat ladies, a book club, local politicians, and church groups.  The highlight was, of course, the cowboys and guest charros from Lincoln, CA.

The parade was smaller than in past years due to the organization's dwindling membership, but the crowd was enthusiastic and there was literal dancing in the streets.

The OBCA educates the public, especially school children, about the history of black cowboys, estimated to have comprised 25% of the West's cowboys after the Civil War.

The cowboys were particularly attentive to the kids in the crowd who were entranced by the horses.  A barbeque and zydeco dancing capped off the event.