Scenery from Another Walking Expedition Plus Some Cat Photos

Today's exercise came in the form of walking to the Patelco Credit Union office just over a mile south of where we're staying.  Of course, there were more flowers to photograph.  The bearded irises and geraniums I recognize; not sure about some of the others.

When I got back, I found Sunny exploring and Ziggy vegging out on Erick's running t-shirt.

House Hunting in One of our Favorite Areas

Yesterday and today were perfect days to be out and about looking at houses.  We were touring ones in the vicinity of Montclair Village (http://montclairvillage.com/).

Here are a couple of photos from our walk around Montclair.

Pond in the park - lots of turtles basking along the far shore
 

Reflections of the trees and sky

Montclair Public Library

At the library - outside in February!

On the Way to Piedmont Grocery

Piedmont Grocery (http://piedmontgrocery.com/about/) is a 15 minute walk from our little urban cottage.  So far, I've walked there at least twice a week.

Here are some photos taken on my favorite part of the walk.

Hens & Chicks on steroids??

Saturday - Time for a Walk to the Grand Lake Farmers Market

Oakland, California has a year- round Saturday Farmers Market.  You can see information about the market, including a short video at this link: http://www.agriculturalinstitute.org/grand-lake-oakland/

Erick and I set out walking around 11:30 AM and by noon we were at the market.  I only wanted a few things so as not to have a lot to carry back with us.  We munched some lunch at one of the many food-to-go vendors.  I had a 4-cheese version of one of these: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grand-lake-farmers-market-oakland?select=eZXLjt0MQL5PYqcrJWV0Hg#LFYKKjy4f_SarCY9FcRuxQ,  and Erick had a one-serving cheese, bacon and kale quiche.

On the way back, we saw more flowering plants that stopped us in our tracks.  Here are a few.

Rhododendron

Magnolia at its peak

Clivia (Kafir Lily) - we had a large one indoors back in Michigan

So many flowing trees and bushes!

A Good Day for a Walk

There was a bit of sunshine today and the temperature hit 60F.  I decided to walk to Erika and Michael's apartment to pick up our mail.  I ended up walking for about an hour.  Here are some of the flowers I saw along the way.

Daffodils - maybe I can grow them here

Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

Azalea

Bird of Paradise

Orange tree in fruit

Another Rainy Day in Oakland, CA

What to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon? - tour houses, of course.  We visited ones on Monterey Boulevard, Oakview Drive and Glen Oaks Way.  All had their pluses and minuses.  The hunt continues.

In between bouts of rain, we parked a block or two from one of the houses and I saw this spectacular tree in bloom.

Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia, 'Dr. Seuss' cultivar probably)

A Long Walk on a Misty Afternoon

The Bay Area got rain from yesterday evening through this morning - about .6 inch worth, but every little bit counts.  Here's what the afternoon looked like as I took a long walk.

One reason for the walk was to pass by the house we'll be touring this weekend.  The address is 611 Jean Street and it's a bit over a mile from our rental place.

Another reason for the walk was to take photos of the many plants that are in bloom here right now,and get some landscaping/gardening ideas.  Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more about the house once we've seen it.