Monday Mural: words to contemplate

This mural is under the 580 freeway at the start of the Lakeshore District.

Weekend Reflection: the estuary at end of the day

The Oakland estuary at sunset.  San Francisco in the background.  Linked to Weekend Reflections, where other reflections can be viewed.

Grand Lake Theater

A grab shot through the window of my car.  Kids, don't try this at home.

ABC Wednesday: F is for Fenton's

Fenton's Creamery is an Oakland institution.  It opened as a dairy on Howe Street in 1894 and later opened a restaurant and ice cream parlor in 1922.  It claims to have invented Toasted Almond and Rocky Road ice cream flavors.  In 1961 it moved one block away to Piedmont Avenue.  There is always a line waiting to enter, regardless of the weather.  The restaurant is well known for its crab sandwiches and all manner of ice cream sundaes.  In the summer they open a special window for ice cream cones to go.  Make mine a Mocha Almond Fudge.  For more "F" photos, visit ABC Wednesday.

Trestle Glen

Here's a snippet of the Trestle Glen neighborhood south of Lakeshore Avenue.  The neighborhood is named after an elevated railroad that ran in the late 19th century.  These homes date from the 30s. 

Monday mural: pride and self-determination

Weekend Reflection: on the way to the estuary

This is part of the tidal channel that brings water to Lake Merritt from the estuary.  There's a nice little park with a couple of public sculptures along side the channel.  In the background is the Nimitz freeway that this channel runs under to reach the estuary.  Another view was posted a while back.  This was taken before the week of rains came.  For other reflections, visit James' meme, Weekend Reflections.

ABC Wednesday: E is for Ella Baker

Ella Baker was a seminal figure in the Civil Rights movement.  Among her many accomplishments was her role in founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which organized the Freedom Summer drive in 1964 to register southern blacks to vote.  Her name graces the Ella Baker Center in Oakland which works for social justice issues and green jobs in the Bay Area.  For other E posts, visit ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: elements of power, visions of change

This mural was done in 1999 by students at Laney College.  Despite the words of hope, the surrounding community has not prospered.  A neighbor told me that this apartment building has been vacant for the past several months.  So far, no one is squatting in it.

Weekend Reflection: boat moored on the estuary

A sleepy scene on the estuary near the Fruitvale Bridge in East Oakland. We still are enjoying balmy days with cool nights.  But that's supposed to change next week.  For more reflections, visit James' meme. 

West Oakland church

Churches come in all sizes, types, and locations in Oakland.  This one in West Oakland looks like it used to be an apartment building.  I'm fascinated by the names they select.  Their commitment is heartfelt and they are often an anchor for those souls who are most adrift.

ABC Wednesday: D is for CL Dellums

C.L. Dellums' statue stands in front of the Amtrak Station in Jack London Square.  Dellums, a porter for the Pullman Company, is best known for helping found The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in the the 1920s. It was the first labor organization led by African-Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor (AFL).  Dellums was its vice president and its second president and was a leader in the civil rights movement.  He was also president of the local NAACP for many years.  Having moved from the South early in life, he lived in Oakland and died here in 1989.  He is also the uncle of Ron Dellums, our former long-time congressman and recent mayor.  Visit ABC Wednesday for more "D" post.

Monday mural: black history month

February is Black History Month.  This mural is at the Ella Baker Center on 40th Street.  Huey Newton and the Black Panthers are featured in this one.

Weekend Reflection: outdoors indoors at the columbarium

Seen recently at Mt. View Cemetery.  Feels peaceful to me.  For more reflections, visit James's meme.

Skywatch Friday: Mills College museum

This is one of a pair of foo dogs that are at the entrance of Mills College's art museum.  After heavy rain on Sunday morning, we once again enjoy sunny but cool-ish weather.  The plum blossoms are blooming as are daffodils and rhododendrons.  For more sky views, visit Skywatch Friday.

wood art

Spotted in West Oakland.

ABC Wednesday: C is for Cleveland Cascade

The Cleveland Cascade was developed in the 1920s and water ran from Cleveland St. down to Lake Merritt.

In the 1950s it fell into disrepair and the water was turned off.  Within a few years the cascade was filled in with plants and citizens forgot about the water feature.  In 2004 neighbors joined together to restore the cascade to its former glory.  Currently the plantings are kept trimmed and the stairs up to the streets above are maintained.  Hopefully, one day the water will run again.  For more "C" photos around the world, visit ABC Wednesday.

Theme Day: fountains

This month's CDP theme day is "fountains."  This water fountain is found at the Paramount Theater.  The style, of course, is deco.  Pretty cool, huh?  For more fountains Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Monday mural: ladies smoking room

This is the ladies smoking room at the deco Paramount Theater.  Pretty dramatic, no?

Weekend Reflection: powder room at the Paramount

This powder room at the Paramount Theater was restored to its exact, original appearance.  The guy who did the upholstery enlarged photos of the period to count the number of nail heads the chairs had!  The draperies reflected in the mirror were replicated from a reflection in an old photo.  The restorers attention to detail is beyond remarkable.  Can't you imagine Ginger Rogers here dabbing on her lipstick?  For even more reflections, visit James' meme Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: church sign

The neon tubes on this sign look in tact, but I've never seen this sign lit.  Located on Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland.  You can see the sky remains blue and clear.  In the afternoon, people are walking around in shirt sleeves.  When the sun sets, the cold sets in.  This fair weather is predicted to last another week.  I'll take it.  For more sky shots from around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: B is for bay view

One of the many pleasures of living around the Bay is our fabulous bay views.  This one is from Mt. View Cemetery.  The weather has been practically balmy this past week.  It feels like spring.  But we know better.  Rain and frost are just around the corner.  Who cares.  Sitting out in the sun for lunch in January is its own reward.  For more "B" photos, visit ABC Wednesday and see the many offerings for this week.

roof decoration

A roof detail on Ivy Hill.

Monday mural: happiness and suffering

While exploring Ivy Hill, I spied a mural on a garage door.  It seems to express a personal story of memory and loss.

Weekend Reflection: Walker's Cement

The Walker's Concrete plant was posted earlier.  Here is another shot of the grounds.  I think the water is from a recent rain.  For more reflections, visit Weekend Reflections, a meme that always yields interesting photos.

antique projectors at the Paramount

Another shot from a walking tour of the Paramount Theater, an unparalleled deco building.  These projectors still work and are used in other old theaters in California.

ABC Wednesday: A is for Amtrak

The Oakland Amtrak station is located at one end of Jack London Square.  From here you can catch a train to Sacramento and LA.  This side of the Amtrak train station faces the tracks.  The reflection includes the pedestrian bridge across the tracks.  California is now piloting a TGV to LA via the Central Valley.  Given the questionable financial projections for both funding and ridership, file this notion under wishful thinking.  For more "A" photos, visit ABC Wednesday.

seeing the past, present, and future

It's amazing how many "psychic readers" have storefronts in Oakland.  Who goes to these folks?  This advisor is on Park Blvd.  But I see them all over Oakland along with the ubiquitous nail shops.

Monday mural: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Park Blvd. entrance to Oakland High (not to be confused with Oakland Tech) is faced with murals of Nobel Peace Prize winners.  This section is posted in memory of Dr. King in honor of his birthday.

Weekend Reflection: tiled entry

A wonderful old apartment building in East Oakland.  The entry of this building is decorated with vintage California tiles, many of which were manufactured in the Bay Area,  This building is located at about 7th Ave., E. 24th St. and Ivy.  The reflection was an added bonus.  For other reflective photos, visit Weekend Reflections, a creative meme with many participants.

artists live here

Driving around East Oakland I came upon this nifty building which had been retrofitted and then adorned with glass mosaics.  You could just tell that this is/was an artist studio.  No signs identified the tenants, but I heard bongos being played inside.  Below is a detail of one of the mosaics.  Found at 24th Street and 8th Avenue near Park Blvd.

Cool, no?

ABC Wednesday: Z is for zoot suit

With a reet pleat?  Siegel's is a tuxedo rental store on Grand Avenue.  Turns out they make custom zoot suits too.  Probably for those who are into swing dancing, which is big on the west coast.  Pretty snappy, wouldn't you say?  For more Z photos, check out ABC Wednesday.  The alphabet starts all over again next week.  Woohoo.

Montclair fire station

This Storybook style fire station was designed by Julia Morgan, who is most famously known as the architect of Hearst Castle.  It is situated in Montclair Village, a small neighborhood above Highway 13 in the Oakland Hills.  Subsequent to the 1989 earthquake, the firehouse was closed due to needed retrofitting and remains closed today.  Belongs in Hansel and Gretel, don't you think?

Monday mural: Ganesha in West Oakland

This mural by Desi, is the companion piece to Buddha posted last year.  They are found on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.

Skywatch Friday: Lonestar Industries

Cold but sunny for several days.  Lonestar Industries in West Oakland is (or is it was?) a cement factory next to Walker's Concrete, which was posted last week.  Just off Mandela Parkway, this imposing structure seems to be an icon of our industrial past.  Not something I'd want in my immediate neighborhood, but the lost jobs it represents is sad to see.  For other skywatch photos from around the globe, visit Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: Y is for Yoshi's

Yoshi's has a long East Bay history.  It is a jazz and blues club now located at Jack London Square.  There is also a venue now in San Francisco.  Visit ABC Wednesday for more Y photos around the world.  One more week and the alphabet starts again.  Won't you join us next time around?

George & Walt's

An old time bar at the top of College Avenue.

Monday mural: life in space

Here is another mural at the metal recycling yard in West Oakland featured in the post of the mermaid mural.  Also by Bode, Eya, Marley and Toad.  Note the recycling symbol on her helmet and her sad face as she contemplates the earth in her hand.  Oakland has a comprehensive residential recycling program that significantly reduces the amount of refuse that goes into the landfill.  But the dangerous runoff that ends up in the bay is an ongoing worry.  Metal recyclers have been cited for violations of excess runoff of aluminum, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, iron, oil and grease.  All of this also affects the health of those who live in the area.  Maybe that's why she looks so sad.  Even best intentions can have unhealthy consequences.

Theme Day: photo of the year 2010

I don't know if this photo is my best of the year, but it is the one that received the most comments.  Taken in March and published in May, it is a night photo at Lake Merritt, considered the Jewel of Oakland.  The white building is the Veteran's Memorial Building.  The Necklace of Lights circles the lake.  It was installed in the 1920s and was restored in the 1980s.

Submitted to CDP's Theme Day (Click here to view thumbnails for all participants), Weekend Reflections, and Black and White Weekend.  Visit these memes and enjoy all these photos from around the world.  Happy New Year to you all.

Skywatch Friday: Walker's Concrete

Found on Peralta near Mandela Parkway a block from Monday's mermaid mural.  This uber-industrial  form is hard to ignore.  Looks like something out of Mad Max.  Can't tell if this plant is still in operation or not.  Visit Skywatch Friday for sky shots from around the world.

comorants on display

Lake Merritt is a stop on the bird migration pathway.  Comorants love to sit on the lake perches facing the sun at the end of the day.  Yesterday I drove by and the entire lake was covered with all manner of birds.  Phenomenal.

ABC Wednesday: X is for Xmas ornaments

X is the hardest letter in the ABC Wednesday alphabet.  So following the lead of others, I'm going with Xmas.  I love Santa ornaments but waited for the post holiday sales.  Hah!  By the time I got to the store they were already packed away for next season.  Let that be a lesson to me.  Please note the new URL for ABC Wednesday when you visit the meme.

American Steel sculpture

Big Art Studios is located in the old American Steel factory on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.  It is now home to many different artists.  You may remember a previously posted sculpture earlier in the year from the same studio.  Tash sent me her research results indicating it was made by Das Mann.  Many of his giant sculptures are now in a large yard behind the building.  Spotted this guy last week.  Must be 10-12 feet tall and an attention grabber among the several other giant sculptures on the yard.

Monday mural: mermaids and more

In West Oakland (on Poplar St., I think) is a huge metal recycling yard.  This year they had artists (Bode, Eya, Marley and Toad) paint murals on their block long security wall that faces the street.  Only when you walk to the other side of the street can you see the heavy equipment that moves the metal around.

Weekend Reflections: holiday reflections

Merry Christmas.  Sending best wishes to all of you. Enjoy the photos posted on Weekend Reflections.

holiday decorations at the water

More scenes from Jack London Square.

ABC Wednesday: W is for White Elephant Sale (WES)

It's that time of year again.  The annual WES sale to benefit the Oakland Museum is approaching.  Seventeen departments manned by 1000 volunteers in a 96,000 square foot warehouse.  We sell all manner of fabulous items (at fabulous prices) that have been donated by a generous public.  It's the biggest and best rummage sale in Northern California.  The last Sunday in January is the Preview Sale which charges a fee to shoppers to get the first peek at the offerings of the year.  The first weekend in March is THE big sale that is free to the public.  Checkout the website for all pertinent information about dates, donations and how to buy preview tickets.  If you're in the area, come by and see me in the Linen Department.  Questions?  Email me.  To see other W posts go to ABC Wednesday, a fun meme to visit and participate in.

holiday fantasy

Window display on College Avenue.