More East Bay Parks

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Continuing our series of weekend walks, this picture is from Joaquin Miller Park, conveniently located roughly 8 minutes by car from the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland. Not bad, right? 500+ acres of redwoods, hardy any people, and (I imagine on a clear day) really good views of the bay. Apparently there are regular concerts in the park, too. Last Season they offered The King and I, of all things.

We did this hike.

Joaquin Miller Park

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Pink Party

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Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

There aren't enough theme parties these days. Sonya's birthday party was "pink", including the cocktails. She also made everyone wear nametags, which was really great. None of that "I know I should know who you are..." guessing game. May there be more parties like this in the future.

Karl's 30th Birthday

Karl's 30th Birthday
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Adam and I logged in 900 miles of driving time this past weekend - Oakland to Los Angeles to Santa Barbara to San Francisco. Other than a flat tire in Malibu, it was smooth sailing. Thanks Karl for providing an excuse to head south - and kicking off the year of 30th birthday parties that seems to be upon us.

A Dog's Life

A Dog's Life
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Not that the Bay Area's awful or anything, but this is the dog beach in Santa Barbara. Can you imagine what the people beach looks like? Sometimes life just doesn't seem fair.

Lafayette Reservoir

Lafayette Reservoir
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Here's another east bay find (thanks to Lisa for taking me here originally). The Lafayette Reservoir is a 10 minute drive from Oakland, has a well-groomed hiking trail, allows dogs, and has a fairly interesting nature walk with lots of native plants (ask at the gate for a plant guide).

Life is a little too busy lately - we're planning a lot of trips, and working too hard - so I'm trying to get the most out of my immediate surroundings. Next time we'll check out the reservoir's border trail, which looks a bit less tame (and hopefully less crowded).

December 2006 Book Reviews

Better late than never?

1. Queen of Fashion, Caroline Weber, Rating: 2.5
I made the mistake of thinking this would be a "fun" read - Marie Antoinette, seen through a fashion lens. It's a serious, scholarly, extremely well researched and documented look at her life (it includes 120 pages of footnotes and citations). The author's credentials are serious and I admire her effort; the actual work is really dry. And the biggest problem? She describes clothing very poorly. I finished the book and still don't have a clear idea of what the clothes actually looked like.
2. The Scroll of Seduction, Gioconda Belli, Rating: 3.0
Another look at European royalty, this time Juana the Mad of Spain. There's little published (in English, at least) about this interesting woman, supposedly driven mad by her husband's wandering eye. My biggest quibble with this account are the utterly unbelievable liberties the author takes to flush out the story. Rather than creating a 3 dimensional character, Belli creates a caricature.
3. Middlemarch, George Eliot, Rating: 3.9
Middlemarch is funny and sharp, even biting at times. There's clearly an agenda from the get-go, and I found it interesting how she focused people to display that how they really are, and how they are perceived by others, are so often different. The book is long - it was a struggle at times to finish - but worth the effort.
4. The Texicans, Nina Vida, Rating: 4.1
After a slightly bumpy start, this short, compelling novel swings into high gear, detailing the lives of numerous characters with intersecting lives. It's fun.

Sabine in Repose (Overhead View)

Sabine in Repose (Overhead View)
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Berkeley Pier

Berkeley Pier
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Have you ever been out there? It's one of my favorite spots in the east bay. This is the view from the end of the walkable portion. The original pier was 3.5 MILES long (3000 feet are currently safe to walk on). Pretty impressive, especially if you consider that the Bay Bridge is only 5 miles long.

The Chase

The Chase
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

The Battle

The Battle
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Triumph

Triumph
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

Book Stats 2006