30 June 2013 ~ New Backyard Visitor

Listening to: Bob Marley and the Wailers ~ So Jah She

Much to my astonishment today, as I working, I noticed a large animal on my car.

Turns out its a wild turkey! They aren't uncommon in Berkeley, I've just never had one this close and personal.

After sitting on my car -- I did try to yell at it and scare it off -- it flew to the shade and sat there for quite a while.

Then, plopped itself down.

I haven't checked my car yet, but I really hope the toe claws didn't scratch the paint.

28 June 2014 ~ Fox Theater

Listening to:  Who ~ Squeeze Box


Thursday night I went to the Fox Theater in Oakland.

It's a wonderful theater, with seating for 2,800 persons. It was originally opened in 1928 and was planned to be named "The Bagdad" because of its Middle Eastern influenced architecture,

What drew me to Oakland? Steve Winwood. He put on a fantastic show, playing Traffic classics. "Dear Mr. Fantasy" brought a tear to my eye, and then "Gimme Some Lovin" got me up and dancing.

The interior of the Fox Theater was delicately crafted and said to be described as “mystical”, with its intriguing resemblance of an Indian temple.

26 June 2014 ~ Kingston on Thames Square

Listening to: White Mice ~ True Love


Last week on our lunch break from the customer meeting, we grabbed some soup/sandwiches and took a Riverside Walk.

The view of the River Thames and the Kingston Bridge was beautiful and the weather lovely.

This is the central marketplace. The building in the background is the Old Town Hall.

Statue of Queen Victoria.

The Shrubsole Memorial was created by Francis John Williamson (1833-1920) with Carrara marble on a Cornish granite pedestal. It commemorates Henry Shrubsole, whose family's fortunes followed an unusual trajectory, from undertaking and drapery to banking. Shrubsole himself was three times Mayor of Kingston, dying in office in 1880. In this tableau, a gracefully-robed woman carries an urn on one shoulder and is holding the hand of a little boy, who crouches to gather water in a little bowl.

I liked the architecture of this building and the 1422 A.D. caught my attention.

22 June 2014 ~ All Saint's Church

Listening to: Tanya Stephens ~ What A Day

I had a quick work trip to the United Kingdom this past week to the town Kingston upon Thames. It's about a 30 min train ride south of London proper, and near Heathrow Airport.

Kingston was an important town in Roman days, due to the fact its ford provided the first opportunity for the traveler to cross the River Thames. Later this ford was replaced by a wooden bridge which, until Westminster Bridge was built in 1750, was the first bridge over the river above London Bridge.

I had no time to be a tourist, except the team did go out for lunch and we took a quick stroll through the city.

We came across All Saint's Church, which, in the tenth century, the first Kings who can be called Kings of England were anointed and crowned.  Kingston crowned Kings before Westminster Abbey was built.

Can you see my reflection?

This was a good view of an entryway.  Construction of the present church began in 1120...and it's continuing to this day!

15 June 2014 ~ Winchester House

Listening to: Gina Sicilia ~ Addicted

For Friday the 13th I sojourned down to San Jose to go on a Flashlight Mystery Tour at the Winchester House.

The house was built by Sarah Winchester, wife of the son of the manufacturer of the famous Winchester repeating rifle. Her child and husband died, and she moved to California.

It's a house of oddities. The miles of twisting hallways are made even more intriguing by secret passageways in the walls. Mrs. Winchester traveled through her house in a roundabout fashion, supposedly to confuse any mischievous ghosts that might be following her.

Whether or not one believes in Mrs. Winchester’s superstitions about spirits, it’s harder to dismiss occurrences of the number 13 throughout the house. Many windows have 13 panes and there are 13 bathrooms, with 13 windows in the 13th Bathroom. There are also 13 wall panels in the room prior to the 13th Bathroom, and 13 steps leading to that bathroom. The Carriage Entrance Hall floor is divided into 13 cement sections. There are even 13 hooks in the Séance Room, which supposedly held the different colored robes Mrs. Winchester wore while communing with the spirits.   
Here are even more thirteens: 13 rails by the floor-level skylight in the South Conservatory, 13 steps on many of the stairways, 13 squares on each side of the Otis electric elevator, 13 glass cupolas on the Greenhouse, 13 holes in the sink drain covers, 13 ceiling panels in some of the rooms, and 13 gas jets on the Ballroom chandelier. (Mrs. Winchester had the thirteenth one added!)

The Winchester Historic Firearms Museums has one of the largest collections of Winchester rifles on the west coast.

B. Tyler Henry developed the famous Henry Repeating Rifle in 1860. In 1866, improvements were made to the Henry Rifle. The redesigned model then became the first Winchester Repeating Rifle. The year 1873 brought more improvements – including a steel mechanism and heavier center fire cartridges – and the model released that year is popularly known as “The Gun That Won The West.”

All these historic rifles, and many other firearms from around the world, are on display in the Winchester Firearms Museum. The museum’s collection includes firearms that are hundreds of years old, as well as the famous Limited Edition Winchester commemorative rifles – among them the Centennial ’66, the Theodore Roosevelt, and the renowned John Wayne.

13 June 2013 ~ Mexican Piñata

Listening to: Griffin House ~ Woman With The Beautiful Hair

A few weeks back I went to my friend Marshall's 49th birthday party in the Russian River Valley.

A few of his pictures from throughout the years were set on the hot tub near the "game" area. His partner made the corn bag toss game and box. Here I am just missing with my friends looking on in amazement.

The Piñata was homemade as well. According to Wikipedia, "the idea of breaking a container filled with treats came to Europe in the 14th century, where the name, from the Italian pignatta, was introduced. The Spanish brought the European tradition to Mexico."

The fun part to watch was that it's attached to a pulley so when the birthday boy was trying to hit it, the target moved. Quite entertaining.

8 June 2014 ~ Golden Gate Fields

Listening to: Mexico City Girls ~ Fade


With all of the hype over California Chrome yesterday at the Belmont Stakes, I motivated myself to go to Golden Gate Fields to see some horse racing.

A great view of the field and of Berkeley hills.

Not as impressive as Churchill Downs in Louisville, but a nice race course none-the-less.

Obviously California Chrome didn't win. I wasn't a big winner either, but at least came home with more than when I arrived.

I went down to the paddock before one of the races to get close-up view of the horses.

I bet on #2 to win.

And I bet on #5 to show.

Here I am waiting for the race.

And #5 came in a winner.

I recorded the action of the race.

http://youtu.be/S4LVoJgbXFg

7 June 2014 ~ Moon Rising and Sunset

Listening to: Rufus and Chaka Khan ~ Tell Me Something Good

I've been going to San Jose for work recently. One night when I arrived for a meeting the next day, I caught a wonderful almost-full moon rising between a purple flowering tree.

Even before I checked in, I started taking photos.

This is the Bay view from the Rose Garden just at sunset.

And the sun bids you goodnight.