plum blossoms and storm cloud

plum blossoms and storm cloud, a photo by LISgirl on Flickr.

one moment later, the ray of sun was gone

Tree down during this morning's gale winds

I chatted with two different neighbors about the history of this tree and its companion tree in a front yard that used to a be dense jungle.

Since I walk this block almost every day, I couldn't help thinking whether I would have been under this tree if I had left a half hour earlier.... Neither of the neighbors had information about the new owners who are renovating the house, either to sell or rent. I went home, looked up the parcel number by the address, and called the Alameda Co. Assessor's Office. I got the owner's name and looked him up in whitepages.com. Not too hard after all! Hopefully, he got the message that the tree fell and is blocking the street a bit. We had gale winds this morning; I'm sure there were signs the tree was leaning, earlier.

Gutted House

I've been watching the progress of one house on my street. It fell into dereliction during the residence of its owner who became more and more disabled and who finally moved into a home for the aged. Two people I knew had visited, and said that it was seriously blighted inside. I never saw it or smelled it. The elderly man used to have a german shepherd. We passed each other often, but the pattern was always the same. The shepherd would bark or growl and lunge at us. Neither of them were civil to me (and my dog) so I never got to know him. He may not have spoken much English. He was glad to have us harvest the loquats in front of his house, though. After his son went through the process of emptying the house, workers have been gutting the house. It appears to be just a shell now. Foundation, siding, roof, walls: everything is in process of being ripped out or redone.

 I can't help thinking houses are metaphors for people's lives. Can we revamp each part of ourselves, until we become new, at some point? And not just new knees and hips and corneal transplants. Can we tear down our outer shell, and construct a more porous one, with brighter windows, that lets in other people, welcomes new friendships, welcomes warmer connections, and become a warmer person, ultimately? Can we fix the supporting walls, the fixtures, and become more productive, live cleaner emotional lives?  I feel a fresher breath coming from the house, as I pass it at least once weekly. Although the yard is piled high with debris, the house appears more hopeful, sturdier, stronger, yet lighter, free of its sad contents, and I think it will once again offer shelter...for a new family.

Laurel District Panorama around 1914 or so

Laurel Panorama, a photo by LISgirl on Flickr.

This amazing panorama of the Laurel District shows all the little farms, the new little bungalows constructed in 1913 in the foreground, the railroad that apparently came from Sacramento, the schoolhouse in the distance (there is a replacement school there now)....sent by Susan of Mokelumne. I received this also from Dennis Evanovsky, who gives tours of the Laurel District and has written a book on the history of this Oakland neighborhood. For more information about the Laurel, click here.

Via Flickr:
Generously given to members of an Oakland Heritage Alliance tour, led by Oakland historian, Dennis Evanovsky.

Glowing Dog

My dog has a propensity to light up in the light of the setting sun.....and how!

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