lilliputian library

This little house is a free service from a local home owner.  Just walk by to take and leave a book.  Pretty nice if you ask me. 

Monday Mural: green eyes

Bode is the street artist who also brought us the Mermaid.  Did you notice that this lovely lady has two tattoos?  Found in the industrial section of West Oakland.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Monday Mural: the vendor

The People of Oakland is an ongoing series of murals by father and son team Mike and John Manente. The murals feature various homeless people in Oakland, and are painted on the side of the Haley Law Office building at the oddly-shaped intersection of Clay, 17th Street, and San Pablo Avenue.  The Vendor is the 3rd in their series.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

E is for estuary

Early evening along the estuary.  Runners, walkers, and bikers like to take the trail along the estuary as it runs through much of East Oakland.  This guy warned me not to snap the shutter yet because he didn't want to spoil my picture.  I thought, "Are you kidding, you make the picture."  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: zombie babes

The official title of this mural is Murals and Girls.  But I don't think it tells the tale, do you?  Found downtown in a parking lot near all the Oakland Love murals.  Lots of initials of the artists, but I have to confess I couldn't put them together with the names I know.  My bad.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

D is for doorway

Spanish-style architecture has been popular for a long time in the Bay Area.  As in LA, it dates back to the 18th century land grant era.  This old 4-plex, possibly from the 1920s, has many of the style's components:  tiled entries, wrought iron, arches, and terracotta roof tiles.  Lovely, don't you think?  Spotted in the Bella Vista neighborhood.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

playtime along the estuary

This family was having a great time playing on the the sculptures at Arrowhead Marsh at MLK Jr. Shoreline Park.  The metal for the sculptures looks like it came from a mothballed boat or ship.  Don't know for sure but I like the idea.

Monday Mural: Irie Lion

Infinite Artistry painted this mural in 2010 on the side of a liquor store just off International Blvd.  Couldn't find anymore information about this artist/business.  Wiki tells me that "irie" is connected to the Rastafarian movement and means feeling alright, powerful, or excellent.  This elegant lion has familiar Oakland landmarks in the background, including the now closed and defunct Bay Bridge.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Theme Day: entry

...to eternity?  It's the first of the month, and members of City Daily Photo publish photos related to the month's theme.  This month it's "entry."  This photo was taken at Mt. View Cemetery.  To see other Theme Day photos click here.

chopped Chevy

I wish I had asked the owner more about this car.  I have no idea if this is an original design or it has been modified to cultivate a cool look.  Taken when there were leaves on the trees.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

cafe zone

Oakland seems to indulge in the bottomless coffee cup given the number of coffee houses and coffee trucks that abound in our town.  The Fountain Cafe can be found in the City Center.

Monday Mural: more glamour girls

Mags as another bathing beauty up only a block from the ones I've previously shown you.  They really grow on you.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

BART station

Standing on a BART platform waiting for the train to San Francisco.  It doesn't look busy, but you'd be surprised how quickly the platform fills up just before the train arrives.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: remembering Dr. King

Found on a construction fence in West Oakland.  Today is a national holiday where we honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and work.  One of my favorite quotes from  him:  We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

lovely old house

This graceful old house anchors a corner in the Bella Vista neighborhood of East Oakland.  Love that oval hallway window.  Oakland has tons of old and pre-1906 earthquake houses.  The skies are still blue and dry.  The temperature reached 75 today.  Hardly a typical winter, and a harbinger of drought.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

A is for Automania

Those wacky guys at Automania have cut up another car and placed it facing one of their walls.  Their stuff always makes me laugh.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

bike lanes

These green swaths are showing up around town.  They indicate dedicated bike lanes---no cars allowed.

Monday Mural: culture is a weapon

Photographing this mural took some gymnastics because it is behind fencing on all sides.  A lot of the murals in Oakland reference cultural pride by marginalized groups.  Here we see symbols of Latino and African-American cultures both past and present.  This mural is off the traffic corridors and peeked out at me while I was driving down E. 12th Street.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

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.

submarine crossing?

I'm not sure what this is about but it sends the mind reeling at the possibilities.  Linked to Signs, Signs.

sights along the shoreline

While much of the shoreline around the Bay is being rescued and resuscitated, you still find a lot of industry.  Next to the shoreline path is this storage "facility" for heavy industrial trucking equipment.  It looks like so many building blocks stacked before the setting sun.

union hall with axe

Had to laugh at how the firefighters designed their union office.  Spotted downtown.

Monday Mural: more love Oakland

This is one of the larger Love Oakland murals on 15th Street.  Included is a shoreline image of Lake Merritt which is only a few blocks away.

Welcome to Monday Mural:  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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

shoreline reflection

Did you know Oakland established the first bird sanctuary in the nation?  We are fortunate to be along the migratory path of many species and our waters are filled with hundreds if not thousands of birds during their migratory flights.  Egrets abound in the estuary, at Lake Merritt, and along the East Bay shoreline.  They don't seem particularly bothered by traffic noise or the rumble of a nearby freeway.  Adaptable creatures they are.  This one is poking along the estuary shoreline where remnants of a pier still jut from the water.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

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.

Oakland Stonehenge

A massive sculpture in the City Center complex.

winter wonderland

Every Christmas Mt. View Cemetery has a light display that draws visitors from all over.  This is one
small corner of the bounty of lights that turns the entry into a magical wonderland.

Don't forget, tomorrow is CDP's Theme Day with January's theme Best Photo of 2013.  Click here to see what CDP bloggers post.

Monday Mural: aim for the stars

Here is another mural along 15th Street done by the Love Oakland group.  The little guy looks scared as he aims for the stars.  But his mentor and guiding spirit exude confidence.  A bonus is the ghost sign left on the wall.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

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.

Monday Mural: love Oakland

Several murals reside on one block of 15th Street downtown.  They are sponsored by Love Oakland Group which is self-decribed as "a collective of activists, artists, gardeners, and other free spirits that want to make Oakland the most beautiful city in the world."  Several of the murals say "love Oakland" in multiple languages

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

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.

dancing in the plaza

These students are dancing to a West African band that is performing.

W is for water works

City Center is a business and government complex in downtown Oakland.  The fountain was up and running this week while concerts were held in the plaza.  Yowza.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: create for yourself a new heart

This huge mural is located downtown and was created in 1985.  The title is taken from Ezekial 18:31 which has to do with repentance.  A small section of this mural was posted two years ago which features Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.  The greater theme of the mural relates to Jewish traditions.  The lower parts of the mural have been painted over and the remainder is in poor condition.  Nonetheless, do yourself a favor and zoom in to see the fascinating details.  Go here for a discussion of the mural.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

downtown Oakland

While walking downtown the other day, I spied these reflections.  The one on the left is City Hall.  The one on the right, I'm not so sure.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

Tim-berrrr!

Last week we experienced intense winds that really shook the rafters.  One of the victims was this 135 year old eucalyptus tree along the shore of Lake Merritt.  Had the tree fallen in any other direction it would have crashed through the roof of the Lake Chalet restaurant, or hit the street and likely, electrical wires and parked cars.  It has become quite the celebrity and has drawn lots of camera-toting visitors.

The winds have died down but the frigid, sunny weather has continued.  A warming trend is predicted for the weekend.   Linked to Skywatch Friday.             

Monday Mural: mamma mia!!

Amanda Lynn has several murals in Oakland, often done in collaboration with her friend Mags.   This one is found around the corner from this one only a couple of blocks from Lake Merritt.  Clearly, voluptuous women are a specialty.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

ABC Wednesday: U is for unusual

 

 This Victorian house is now a duplex. It's recently had a new paint job with at least six colors.  Pretty unusual, if not elegant especially for the neighborhood.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: hidden faces

This large scale mural looks like a group effort but I didn't see any signatures.  I feel I should know the artists by the distinctive styles, but sadly I don't.  This is one of those images that invites free association to uncover meaning.  Maybe something about the need of street artists to stay anonymous?  You tell me.  The writing down the side of the wall says Rock Paper Scissors, the art collective whose back wall is the canvas.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Theme Day: looking out

Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo world.  This month's theme is "looking out."  Being the literal sort, I'm posting this photo taken at this year's dragon boat races.  Seems like everyone, with one exception, is looking out at the boats racing on Lake Merritt.  For more takes on the theme visit the Theme Day meme here.

street shrine

While driving around East Oakland I found this street shrine placed in a median strip designed to divert traffic.  Whoever created it included icons from India and China as well as incense and continuous music.  It was like a small oasis in the middle of the street.

Monday Mural: the cycle continues

I really like Cannon Dill's work.  While driving downtown the other day I found another one on a garage door on MLK Way.  His work is full of pathos with glimmers of humor and hope.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

rotisserie dinner

At Sunday's farmer's market in Montclair Village, the booth with the longest line was this guy's serving up roasted chicken.  He couldn't move fast enough to keep up with the demand.  Definitely a time saving way to get dinner on the table.

Monday Mural: dragonfly over the door

While driving up the street, a flash of color sparkled in my peripheral vision.  I turned the car around and found another mural by the Community Rejuvenation Project.  This one adorns a local breakfast joint called the Grease Box which touts that it serves "cowboy coffee."  While I like the idea of cowboy coffee I'm not so sure about eating in a place called the Grease Box.  Even though it serves gluten free and vegan dishes.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Monday Mural: portrait of a waif

I know I've seen those eyes somewhere before, but I can't remember where.  Done by Gloria Muriel, a San Diego based artist, who signs her pieces "glow."  The bird and the dense lines in the girl's hair remind me of Doty.  Maybe he's influenced her Oakland pieces.  Found near Lake Merritt at the start of East Oakland.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Spokeland

As the sign implies, bicycling is very popular in Oakland.  Dedicated lanes for bicycles on our city streets are definitely on the increase.

Monday Mural: homage to Carmen Miranda

Here's another one by Mags and Alynn found around the corner from the mural posted last week.  If the ones I found are any indication, they like to paint glamour girls.  I think of it as a celebration of female beauty.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Monday Mural: girls with spray cans

This is a joint project between Alynn and Mags.  I like the glamor girl especially the flowing and rippled drape of the fabric.  But the beetle kind of creeps me out.  Then again, what is street art without some darkness.

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.
  
As Jack would say, I'll be "out of jurisdiction" for three weeks.  Through the magic of automated posting the Linky will still go up on Sundays at 8 PM PST.  Unfortunately, I won't have much access to wifi so will not be able to leave comments.

Monday Mural: hummingbird

This wonderful psychedelic hummingbird is part of a much larger mural on two sides of an old building in West Oakland.  I like the kinetic feeling it presents.  I wonder if the double eyes mean Doty did this one?

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 get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them everywhere.  Be sure to link back to this blog and to visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.
  
As Jack would say, I'll be "out of jurisdiction" for three weeks.  Through the magic of automated posting the Linky will still go up on Sundays at 8 PM PST.  Unfortunately, I won't have much access to wifi so will not be able to leave comments.