EASTBAYTIMES.COM: May 27, 2016
There’s nothing like a ghost to make history come alive. Touring the old Fischer-Hanlon House (circa 1850) in Benicia, my husband encountered a specter. And it made quite a spectacle of itself — popping open not one, but two, cabinet doors. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: May 27, 2016
It’s a blow to claustrophobics everywhere. Starbucks won’t be moving out of its cramped Montclair quarters and into the long-empty storefront at Mountain Boulevard and La Salle Avenue. The old Raimondi’s location seemed perfect for a coffee and wine bar — but the two sides reportedly couldn’t agree to terms. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: June 3, 2016
The little storybook firehouse: It was one of the first things that drew me to Montclair. Could there finally be some interest in fixing up this wonderful, whimsical structure that’s been closed since the Loma Prieta earthquake? Continue reading
Interior of the Browns’ home in the Oakland hills. After 10 years, Gov. Jerry Brown and Anne Gust Brown are putting the home up for sale. Its asking price is $2,595,000.
We’ve been neighbors for a decade, and we’re finally getting the nod to come over. Too bad there’s nobody home. Still, it’s fun to pop into Gov. Jerry Brown and Anne Gust Brown’s house on Skyline Boulevard. On the market for almost $2.6 million, four families could live in this four-level home if it weren’t for the parking and zoning.
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This newly discovered painting by Elliot Daingerfield titled “TwiligHt” was sold at auction Sunday at Oakland’s Clars Auction Gallery for $39,325 — over four times the estimated price.
Montclarion: April 22, 2016
It’s the stuff of movies — a rare painting found hidden behind the backing of a mirror. It happened recently, at Oakland’s Clars Auction Gallery. Continue reading
Andy Hawkey is the dairy goat leader for the Montclair 4-H Club and her goats just had babies. The goats will be featured at the Montclair 4-H’s April 30 “Meet and Bleat” fundraiser.
MONTCLARION: April 15, 2016
There’s a mom in Montclair who has 25 kids. Really. Andy Hawkey is the dairy goat leader for the Montclair 4-H Club and the goats in her charge just had babies. Black kids, brown kids, little gray and cocoa kids. These fuzzy critters are tottering all over the pen. Continue reading
Contracostatimes.com: April 15, 2016
Car. Carriage. Bike. Balloon. There are lots of ways to tour the Napa Wine region. I prefer to kayak, dock my boat in downtown Napa and walk to the tasting rooms. It’s easy with a tidal river that actually pushes you forward if you time the tides right. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: April 15, 2016
Move over, Pacific Grove. Montclair is the newest butterfly-friendly destination in Northern California. Only these butterflies are on the new Gateway Mural on Mountain Boulevard near Park Boulevard. Continue reading
MONTLARION: March 23, 2016
It was a most unlikely friendship — the 13-year old Romanian boy and the middle-aged mother of two. But none of that mattered at the foosball table. We were a force — Marius playing forward and me as the goalie — nailing shot after shot in the Lasallian Boys Home in Iasi, Romania. For those two weeks in January, I felt young again, helping the boys with their homework and nurturing the very thing we seem to be lacking these days — the human connection.
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MONTCLARION: March 17, 2016
Oakland is rife with low-level thieves. You know the kind — crooks who make it their business to rip people off. They’ve been hitting the grocery store parking lots especially hard. There’s something about the lots that attracts them. Continue reading
