the new Bay Bridge

The tower you see is part of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge.  The erector set behind it is the original span which will be in use until September.  The new structure will be the world's largest self-anchored suspension span.  It will no longer have two decks and it will also include bicycle lanes.  It's only been in the works since the big earthquake of 1989 and is the most expensive public works project in California history.  The span runs from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island; the western suspension section runs from the island to San Francisco.  This picture was taken from Treasure Island (built on soil dredged from the construction of the original bridge which opened in 1936) looking east to Oakland.  The sky shows you the weather has been clear and dry.  Linked to Skywatch Friday and Weekend Reflections.

D is for Dunsmuir House

Dunsmuir House was built in 1899 on 415 acres in a small valley in the Oakland hills.  Alexander Dunsmuir,  heir to a Canadian fortune in coal and lumber holdings, built the home for his bride.  The  mansion, designed by San Francisco architect, J. Eugene Freeman, is an example of Neoclassical-Revival architecture popular in the late 1800s. The 37-room mansion features a Tiffany-style dome, woodpaneled public rooms, 10 fireplaces and inlaid parquet floors within its 16,224 square feet. Servants quarters in the house are designed to accommodate 12 live-in staff.

Within two years of their marriage they both had died.  A daughter by an earlier marriage sold the estate to the Hellman family which used it as a summer residence for 50 years.  The estate (now only 40 acres) is now owned by the city of Oakland and managed by its Parks and Recreation Department.  A nonprofit group is dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of the house and grounds. The Dunsmuir mansion has been designated a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the Interior and both the mansion and the Carriage House have been designated Historic Landmarks by the City of Oakland.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Monday Mural: Maxwell Park

On Friday I showed you a shot of Maxwell Park.  Today I'm featuring the mosaic mural that covers all four walls of the restroom building on the site.  Pretty cool, huh?

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Maxwell Park

Maxwell Park is also the name of the neighborhood in the East Oakland foothills.  The area began development in 1921.  The park itself is now full of mature trees, open spaces, and benches and tables to sit at.  Although rain was predicted, the day turned sunny and warm even in the shade.

Mormon Temple

The Mormon Temple, by virtue of its position in the Oakland Hills, can be seen from most highways crossing town.  It's most dramatic at night.  Recently the skies have been clear and the temps chilly.  Linked to Skywatch Friday.

behind the gauzy curtain

Spotted in Montclair Village.  The tree seems to reach to the clouds.  Linked to Weekend Reflections.

T is for Temptation

A chocolate shop in Montclair Village.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Theme Day: Numbers

The first of every month has a theme that the City Daily Photo  community can participate in.  This month's is "numbers."  Spotted this bus sign on Joaquin Miller Rd in the Oakland Hills. They seem to be running out of space because of changes and additions.  I have no idea where any of these buses go.  For other participants in this month's Theme Day go the the temporary CDPB Theme Day website hosted by Sydney Eye.

Temescal Creek

Temescal Creek runs down from the hills and eventually flows into Lake Temescal, featured here.  This spot is in the Thornhill Drive neighborhood mentioned in this week's Monday Mural.  Most of the homes along the creek look like they were built in the 20s and 30s.  Hard to believe that this house is only two blocks from a major freeway.

Monday Mural: Thornhill Pet Hospital

Thornhill Drive follows a canyon carved by a creek running down from the hills.  It is characterized by steep, wooded, narrow streets.  Just east of the Warren Freeway, Thornhill has a small cluster of businesses and a church.  On the wall of the local pet hospital is a mural done in 1997 by Stefen.  It is still bright, cheerful and fun to look at.  Don't forget to notice the parrot above the left door.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find

ABC Wednesday: Z is for zoo

I don't go to the zoo often, but when I do I get a kick out of the primates.  The Oakland Zoo is known for providing naturalistic habitats for its animals.  Visit ABC Wednesday for global takes on "Z".   Join us next week when we start a new round.

Theme Day: fences

Here's a literal interpretation of this month's theme.  Driving down Lincoln Avenue you can't help but notice this fence.  Massive, marble dragons sit at the front and side of the house entrance.  Each dragon is at least 10 feet long and stands over 5 feet high at the head.  That's a whole lot of power, strength, and good luck for the home owners.  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this month's City Daily Photo theme day.

Oakland Firestorm anniversary

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Oakland Firestorm that destroyed more than 3000 houses and took 25 lives.  This memorial stands near the Caldecott Tunnel where the fire jumped 8 lanes of highway to continue on its devastating path.  As the fire burned down the hill our neighborhood had to evacuate.  My strongest memory is standing at the bottom of our street watching eucalyptus trees at the top of the cemetery canyon explode from the intense heat.  Ash rained down all around us.  It wasn't until the next day we learned that our homes were still standing thanks to a shift in the direction of the winds and the grueling work of fire fighters.  I know many people who were not as lucky.  The local paper reports that those who have moved into the fire zone since the fire have a hard time understanding why they have to engage in such pesky practices like clearing brush from around their house.  They truly do not understand the sense of urgency for preparedness that those who went through the fire have.

Among many commemorative activities, the Oakland Museum has mounted an exhibit by photographer Richard Misrach who documented the fire's aftermath.  He has not published these large format photos until now.  They are a vivid reminder and an education for us all.

Skywatch Friday: humble abode

This home is located in the Upper Rockridge area above the golf course I showed you last year.  Lucky folks who get to live in such a fine looking house.  It comes with a bay view too.  You can see we're enjoying fair weather.  The fog (usually) burns off by 11 a.m. and then begins its return about 6 p.m.  But in between it's sunny and warm.  For more sky views, visit Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: C is for Chabot Space and Science Center

The Chabot Science Center is way up on Skyline Blvd. in the Oakland hills.  It is named after Anthony Chabot (Shah-bow), who among other things, donated the first telescope to the city of Oakland.  The Science Center has three working telescopes, a planetarium, special interactive science exhibits, science summer camps, classes for children and adults, and sci-fi movies on the weekend for all you Trekkies.  You can even get lunch or dinner there if you want.  Opened in 2000 with 86,000 square feet, it replaced a small 1915 facility that was at a lower elevation.  It is also a popular launching point for hiking and biking trails.  For other "C" photos, visit the ABC Wednesday meme.

Still autoposting.  Will be able to leave comments after Friday.

ABC Wednesday: U is for urban scene

The view from Lake Merritt looking east to the hills.  For more "U" shots at ABC Wednesday, click here.

wooded road

This eucalyptus allée is above the zoo on a road that leads to Skyline Boulevard.  It was at the end of this road I found the cowboy working his horses.  This rural area is only a few minutes from a major freeway.

This is an automatic post.  I'm traveling and will likely have restricted access to computers to comment on your blogs.  Back in town on October 1.

commute time

The Caldecott Tunnel cuts through the East Oakland hills to connect Oakland to the adjoining county.  Since the 3rd bore was drilled in the 1960s, Contra Costa County has had a huge surge in population and is now a bedroom community to the East Bay and San Francisco.  You can see that commute time involves long waits to crawl through the tunnel.  Hopefully the 4th bore, due to be completed in 2013, will help alleviate this traffic snarl.  We'll see.  Tip:  During the most intense commute period, you can drive a winding road over the hills faster than you can drive through the tunnel.  Shhh, don't tell.  P.S.  Note the deer sign.  Even though we live in a highly urban area, wildlife is abundant.  Besides deer, it is common to see coyote, possum, skunks, and foxes.  On occasion, people spot mountain lions.  Really.

ABC Wednesday: E is for equine exercise

Recently I decided to follow a street above the 580 freeway to its terminus at Skyline Blvd. At the end of the road I found this private property where the rancher was putting his horses through their paces.  He gave me a "howdy, m'am" nod, and continued to work his horse.  I love the fact that he was wearing chaps and a big hat.  Who knew there still are cowboys and ranches in the Oakland hills?  Then, yesterday's newspaper had an article about a problem with cattle rustling in the East Bay hills!  It looks like the wild west still exists in decidedly urban/suburban Alameda and Contra Costa counties.  I also learned that these two counties have 400,000 acres of ranch land still in operation.

The second photo shows you how rugged the Oakland hills can be.  Much of this area is preserved by parks and watershed land.  And grazing rights, of course.  For additional "E" photos from around the world, visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday: C is for Claremont Country Club

Golf in Oakland?  Ya betcha!  This 18-hole golf course was established in 1903 and the country club some time after.  Between 1937 and 1943 Oakland hosted The Oakland Open.  The first one was played on this course.  The winner was a chap named Sam Snead in his first professional win!  It is strictly a private club now and costs megabucks to join plus a hefty monthly fee for services.  The surrounding neighborhood in Upper Rockridge is quite expensive with large, beautiful homes.  The immediate area around the course was spared damage in the 1991 firestorm but the area above the course lost many, many homes and some lives to the fire.  Besides the large, open expanse of green this course provides the area, I was impressed by how humid the air felt on the course.  Since it doesn't rain here in the summer, they must really pour the water to it to keep it so green.  For other "C" photos from around the world, visit ABC Wednesday.