The Voice of East Bay Living

Before & After photos of our lovely Grand Lake home at 649 Mariposa. You will see living room, dining room, master bedroom and front door. Adding a bit of polish to make this house shine.  It closed escrow in 20 days-over the asking price.  Living Room - fresh coat of paint and furniture rearrangement. Dining Room - mirrors added to built-ins cabinets to create depth. Bedroom - new comforter set, pillows, and lights. Front Door - new color, brass kickplate, and brass numbers.

Awesome Ikebana week-end display at the Orinda Community Center sponsored by the Sogestu School under the tremendous training of Sensai Soho Sakai. 

What used to be a place for horses and carriages is now a vibrant community of artists and studios- located at 49th and Telegraph in the heart of the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. There is a strong current of urban renewal that is feeding the entire community. 

Check out the Sound Room located in Uptown Oakland at 2147 Broadway,  This club is run by a non-profit group dedicated to presenting jazz in the Bay Area.  It is a small and intimiate setting, attracting some fantastic musicians.  Their website is  www.soundroom.org .

As a member of Berkeley Rotary, I recently helped distribute beautiful dictionaries to 3rd graders at Emerson Elementary in Berkeley. Every year the  Rotary Club of Berkeley, California #428  hands out over 800 dictionaries to all 3rd graders in Berkeley Public Schools. The club motto, Service Above Self, has led its members to volunteer in all kinds of projects from building schools in rural Mexican villages to establishing health clinics in the East Bay.