Sunset on Buena Ventura - Late May

We need a name for our blighted hillside

The other day I ran into our Fire Suppression District Inspector, David J. Davis. We talked about the problem hillside, a landslide area that encompasses several lots, and is slowly sliding down the hill to the lower segment of Buena Ventura. It gets so overgrown that the view of San Francisco is practically obliterated. A citation seems to incentivize the owner(s) to get it all cut down. But months during the growing season and before the late spring inspections, it is an impassable mass of weeds, not even penetrable by my dog. Our inspector was pleased to see it trimmed down to the ground, and had stopped to take a look on the way to another area. The idea is not to impose fines (though that is a possibility) but just to see that owners are making progress towards control of their vegetation. (But they don't have to know that!!) We talked about his black labrador and the pros and cons of getting a second dog, and then I continued with my dog walk. If you see an egregious violation in the neighborhood, call 510-238-239 or email djdavis@oaklandnet.com

Estero sunset

Originally uploaded by Miwok.

By a favorite photographer from Pt. Reyes

The Shining City on the Hill

The Shining City on the Hill
Originally uploaded by LISgirl

It was a winter day when there is a particular clarity of atmosphere, allowing one to see far across the bay to San Francisco from our hill in Oakland, while the brooding clouds hover over the city. The lit up city contrasts with the dark flats of Oakland in the foreground. A ray of sun lit up one tower of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A string quartet on Mokelumne

Dedicated semi-professional musicians devote hot afternoon to providing sublime music for neighbors and friends.... though sweltering, it was wonderful. I learned that Mendelssohn idolized Beethoven and the year Beethoven died, when M. was 18, was very tragic. He rose above it to compose a beautiful string quartet.

Morning after a storm

I call it "The Take Back the Neighborhood" walk

For the past several weeks, neighbors from Mokelumne Ridge have been gathering at 10am on Saturday morning on a certain corner. Then, like a small critical mass, we set off in one direction or another, chatting, calling out to new neighbors we meet, and sometimes picking up trash. The trash pick up was Benn's idea today, something I've done in the past and then got tired of. Benn is the one who started an email list, then a Yahoo Group ("Mokeridge") so that we could all become aware of problems in the neighborhood. There have been a number of brazen burglaries,and we need to know who lives where, who does or doesn't belong. Today, Steve and Chiye, Benn, a schoolteacher named Steven, Renato and son Mahal, were along, and me and Yuki of course. We saw Kamala driving to work; we talked to someone on Simson who was unloading some black bamboo from his truck; and we "auditioned" a man who lives on Simson. He wanted to sing us a song he is going to perform for a TV talent show. He is convinced he's going to win, so he's looking for a substitute roommate while he's off in LA becoming famous.