Pansy

Entry No. 48

The King

Entry No. 47

Monarch Butterfly

Why Not Crackers?

Entry No. 46

I have passed by this old place on MacArthur for 16 years, and always wondered what the story was. The banner says "Cheese House" and I peeked through the blinds and saw what looks like restaurant fixtures,  but I still am baffled. Were those two items the restaurant specialty?  Any of you long-time Oaklanders know?

I Have Plant Envy

Entry No. 45

This is Perfection

Entry No. 44

If Trees Could Do Jazz Hands...

Entry No. 43

It was the  bright yellow buds that first caught my eye as I drove by, but when I pulled over and shot them I was like, "umm,  not quite what I want".  So, I stepped around to a new angle and --Voila'!

Sitting Pretty

The Pied Piper of Pigeons

Entry No. 42

Curiosity is the Fountain of Youth

Entry No. 41

I Wonder If the Prey See It This Way

Entry No. 40

Misty Afternoon at Joaquin Miller

Entry No. 39

Heavenly Rainbow

Entry No. 38

As I hurried out to the car today, I was struck by the myriad of colors presented by this single Heavenly Bamboo.  I counted at least 3 different colors in a multitude of shades.

Cute as a Bug

Entry No. 37

Magnolia

Entry No. 36

Lacy Locust

Entry No. 35

In keeping with my tree theme of the past week I thought I'd share a view of the 80 year old locust tree that stands in our yard.  I can't wait for it to bloom again.

Worlds of Swirls

Entry No. 34

Reminds me of a certain famous Dutch painter.

Twisted

Entry No. 33

I have walked under this tree a hundred times and never notice it.  Isn't it marvelous?

Urban Forest

Entry No. 32

This beautiful piece by Ryan Kerrigan, entitled 'Redwood', was donated to the City of Berkeley by Earth Island Institute. It covers an unsightly signal box and is located near the corner of Shattuck and Allston Way.

Sweet Spot

Entry No.31

When they first filled in the pool at my grandmother's apartment complex I was annoyed, but I must say this sweet little spot has grown on me over the years.

Parasites are Beautiful, Too

Entry No. 30

Although the plant is quite lovely, it's what led to the photo that is wonderful.  This parasitic vine grows up around the fuschia in our front yard every year.  No matter how I try I can never get rid of it.  This spring Julian thought he would try.   Yard by yard, as he unwound it he became enthralled with the way the leaves grow and asked me to take a picture of it.  The wonderful thing is that it only took 10 minutes outside for my gadget-loving boy to fall in love with a lowly weed.

The Shape of Things to Come

Entry No.  29

The new bridge is going to dwarf the old Bay Bridge.  Normally I'm not that impressed with man- made structures,  but I think I'm becoming a little obsessed with this thing.

Shiny, Pretty

Entry No. 28

 This vintage beauty stopped me in my tracks as I walked through the Fruitvale District today.

Stained Glass?

Entry No. 27

When I looked outside this afternoon, my neighbor's tibouchina looked like stained glass, so I took a picture and crossed my fingers.  Sure enough, 'ooh, that looks like stained glass!',  is the first thing my son said when he saw the photo. Do you see it, too?

Gathering Storm

Entry No. 26

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

Entry No. 25


I love this little picket fence that runs  along the frontage road of the 580 in the Dimond district.  The effort that the owners made to brighten an often run down stretch of road always makes me smile.

Order in the Chaos

Entry No. 24

The mast of The Lady Washington, a tall ship replica featured in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" which is currently docked at Jack London Square.

Black and Crimson Beauty

Entry No. 23

Spring Surprise

Entry No. 22

 I don't know what this yellow flower is, but it has been showing up every year in this grey pot for about the last 10 years.  I forget about it all year long and it catches me by surprise every Spring.

First I'm Gonna Shoot 'Cha, Then I'm Gonna Eat 'Cha

Entry No. 21

Lovely birthday present from my friend, Maya, at Soul Flower Farm.

Home

Entry No. 20

I was just about to go outside to find something to photograph for today's entry when I noticed the reflection in the window of our front door.  So many elements of what make this place home, the window that looks out to the neighbor's house, the locust tree,  our bamboo, the yellow column on our front porch, all encircled by the wreath of magnolia that I gathered from our neighborhood. Home.