Happy Wanderer: Seaside Carmel seems like a dream, but it’s real

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courtesy of John Williamson — A couple stroll with a dog by moonlight on Carmel-by-the-Sea’s white sand beach.

MERCURYNEWS.COM: January 9, 2020

All the beautiful people have dogs. It’s one of the first things I notice about Carmel by-the-Sea, a village where evening lights twinkle in the aromatic mist of orange blossoms and sea salt. Where shopkeepers still sweep the sidewalks. Where Clint and Doris (God rest her soul) made their homes when they could have lived anywhere. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Montclarion makes film ‘For the Love of a Dog’

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courtesy of Annika Helmer
Cinematographer David Mai, director Daniel Julien, dog owner Meching Mai and rescued dog Nova appear together. Montclair resident Julien debuted his new movie, “For the Love of a Dog” this week at Warehouse 416 in Oakland.

MONTCLARION: September 26, 2019

It’s a dog’s world. At least that’s the takeaway from a new film highlighting Oakland’s canine companions. Montclarion Daniel Julien debuted his new movie, “For the Love of a Dog” this week at Warehouse 416 in Oakland. The four-footed members of the audience yelped with delight as they saw themselves on the big screen with their human handlers. But why a film about dogs? The idea was spawned by the death of Julien’s 15-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Simon. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Workable deal on Oakland hills parking to be difficult

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courtesy of Susan Slusser
Oakland A’s broadcaster Ken Korach and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, above, on Sept. 18 will be at the Montclair Library in support of their new book, “If these Walls could Talk: Stories from the Oakland A’s Dugout, Locker Room and Press Box.”

MONTCLARION: Sept 12, 2019

The art of the compromise — it’s never as easy as it seems. Take the folks living on Heather Ridge Way in the Oakland hills. These neighbors need a solution to the problem of parked cars clogging access to emergency vehicles. But the Oakland Fire Department’s decision to prohibit all street parking is clearly not going to work. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Fairbank’s Fall Color Seen Up, Down and All Around

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The Yukon River in Alaska is seen at dusk. Alaska draws many visitors in September and early October. Fairbanks, Alaska, and nearby Denali National Park are under the Aurora Oval, with some of the world’s best viewing of the Northern Lights. Photo by Ginny Prior

 

HILLS NEWSPAPERS:September 6, 2019

One winter evening, in a town near the Arctic Circle, I was scouring the sky for the Northern Lights. Suddenly, I saw a splinter of light and felt a surge of energy that connected me surreally to the stars. What a letdown it was to discover, soon after, that it was a strobe light beckoning shoppers to a newly opened store in the village. Continue reading →