nice weather

As you can tell, the weather around here has been pretty nice.  Sunny and pleasantly warm but with evening fog to cool us down.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: another clear day

Another clear day without rain.  Sometimes there are clouds in the morning but they tend to dissipate by noon.  December's rain seemed to say the drought is over; January seems to say "not yet."  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday: lights around Lake Merritt

Our weather pattern is the same these days:  overcast mornings, intermittent sunshine by 11AM, blue skies from the afternoon into the evening.  The high fog returns again late at night.  So here is a typical sky shot at dusk.  Meanwhile our graceful Necklace of Lights creates a pretty light around Lake Merritt.  Rain predicted for this weekend.  Fingers crossed.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

public sculpture

The Oakland Museum has a lovely sculpture garden facing Lake Merritt.  This isn't it.  But, some sculptures are on display across the street from the museum.  I took this to show you our blue skies.  The forecast predicts a week-long heat wave.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

flags in the breeze

The formal entrance to Jack London Square has a nice display of flags.  The black one is the logo for the Oakland Raiders.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

blue skies again

We've had some much needed rain but there will be fair skies for the weekend.  This ship-like observation deck is at Arrowhead Marsh in the MLK Jr. Shoreline Park.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

the estuary at dusk

Dusk at the MLK Jr. Shoreline Park.  Some days the skies can get gray and misty.  And then the sun breaks through.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Shoreline Park sunset

The air quality has been poor lately and we've had several days where burning in the fireplace has been prohibited.  Ironically, particulates in the air frequently lend themselves to lovely sunsets.  Taken at the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park on the estuary.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

in case you're looking for a dentist

Saw this last week and it make me laugh.  Reminds me of all those westerns that show a dentist advertising with a tooth hanging outside his office.  As you can see, we still are in a dry and clear period.  It's definitely looking like a year of drought.  Linked to Signs, Signs and Skywatch Friday.

There

The City Center sculpture by Roslyn Mazzilli, seen in the background of yesterday's post, is titled "There."  Oaklanders keep trying to correct the misapprehension that Gertrude Stein was talking about Oakland when she said, "There's no There there."  Actually, she made this famous comment after looking at the empty lot that once held her family home (here in Oakland).  Still, it's a dynamic and colorful piece.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.  More cold air and blue skies predicted.

county superior court

The Alameda County Superior Court, built in 1934, is positioned on the shore of Lake Merritt.  This late afternoon shot was taken from a roof garden at the Oakland Museum.   The heatwave is over but the sunny skies continue.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

gondola on Lake Merritt

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  There is indeed a gondola for hire on the lake.  In fact, there are now two of them.  Business must be good.  The weather for Love our Lake Day was mild even if the sun kept darting behing clouds.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Great Western Power Company

The white building with the smoke stack was originally the Great Western Power Company, a steam generation plant in the 20s.  The operation shut down in the 30s and most recently has been converted into a huge gym.  Along with standard workouts they offer yoga and rock and rope climbing classes.  The smoke stack figures catch the eye for blocks around.  The cirrus clouds are common in the late afternoon.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

steel flowers

Recently Oakland created a temporary sculpture display in the Uptown area.  This giant flower is by Karen Cusolito who runs the American Steel studios.  Her giant creations are often seen at Burning Man.  This piece is at least 10 feet tall and reaches to the blue skies that appear in the afternoon after the "marine layer" burns off.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

yet another vintage sign

We seem to have lots of old vintage signs in Oakland.  This one is for a flower shop that has been in business in this location for more than 60 years just outside the gates of Mt. View Cemetery.  The sign looks in tact but I don't think I've ever seen it lighted up.  I've seen other flower shop signs in much the same style around town which makes me think it was a stock design.  The slightly murky sky is what we are experiencing these past few days after the heat wave broke.  It's overcast in the morning and sometimes the sun comes out in the afternoon, sometimes not.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

victorian on Ivy Hill

Oakland has a multitude of Victorian houses that survived the 1906 earthquake.  This lovely Queen Ann with fish scale shingles is on Ivy Hill.  You saw another shot of Ivy Hill last week.  Not only is the weather fair, and the skies clear, we've also been having a heat wave accompanied by warm easterly winds.  Not a good combination in fire season.  It's supposed to cool down tonight with a return to our typical, cool westerly winds.  Fingers crossed.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

swaying palms

This line of palm trees on Ivy Hill is all that remains of Arbor Villa, a mansion built in the 1890s by Francis Marion “Borax” Smith.  Smith mined borax and transported it from Death Valley to a nearby train station by 20 mule teams.  He used the mule teams to brand and advertise his product.  After amassing a fortune in mining, he later developed the extensive Key System transportation system connecting the East Bay cities and San Francisco.  The mansion was demolished after Smith's death in 1931.  Smith is buried on Millionaire's Row in Mt. View Cemetery.  Our afternoon skies remain clear and I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.

letters in the sky

After a brief interlude of rain, we're back to sunny days with an occasional fluffy cloud.  We need the rain, so our fair weather is a guilty pleasure.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Out of town again for several days. 

the poppies are back

We've had a dry winter but it hasn't stopped the wild flowers from blooming.  Golden poppies are the state flower and can be found the length and breadth of California.  They are always a cheerful and welcome sight.  After two days of rain we are back to blue skies.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

playground in Chinatown

While out and about I watched kids play at a playground in Chinatown.  It wasn't until I really looked at the play structure that I realized it's design is based on a Chinese junk ship.  Duh.  Except for a day of rain on Tuesday, we've had mostly clear skies since Christmas.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.