Skywatch Friday: shoe repair

This vintage neon sign continues to advertise an actual neighborhood shoe repair shop.  Found on Park Blvd in the Glenview neighborhood.  The skies are blue and clear despite this being the rainy season.  For skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Monday Mural: Aung San Suu Kyi

Students at Oakland High School created a series of murals of winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.  Now that Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest and has decided to participate in the coming elections in Burma, I thought about her place in this mural.  Hard to believe it's been 10 years since she won the Nobel Prize, most of which she has spent in confinement.

Halloween survivors

Spotted on Ivy Hill just off Park Blvd.  A bright spot on a gray day.

roof decoration

A roof detail on Ivy Hill.

Monday mural: happiness and suffering

While exploring Ivy Hill, I spied a mural on a garage door.  It seems to express a personal story of memory and loss.

seeing the past, present, and future

It's amazing how many "psychic readers" have storefronts in Oakland.  Who goes to these folks?  This advisor is on Park Blvd.  But I see them all over Oakland along with the ubiquitous nail shops.

Monday mural: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Park Blvd. entrance to Oakland High (not to be confused with Oakland Tech) is faced with murals of Nobel Peace Prize winners.  This section is posted in memory of Dr. King in honor of his birthday.

Weekend Reflection: tiled entry

A wonderful old apartment building in East Oakland.  The entry of this building is decorated with vintage California tiles, many of which were manufactured in the Bay Area,  This building is located at about 7th Ave., E. 24th St. and Ivy.  The reflection was an added bonus.  For other reflective photos, visit Weekend Reflections, a creative meme with many participants.

artists live here

Driving around East Oakland I came upon this nifty building which had been retrofitted and then adorned with glass mosaics.  You could just tell that this is/was an artist studio.  No signs identified the tenants, but I heard bongos being played inside.  Below is a detail of one of the mosaics.  Found at 24th Street and 8th Avenue near Park Blvd.

Cool, no?