pounding mochi

The Oakland Museum presented a multi-faceted celebration for the Lunar New Year.  There were many activities for children, Chinese dances, calligraphy and ichibana demonstrations, taiko drummers, and this mochi pounding ceremony.  Happy Lunar New Year to all.

Monday Mural: two celebrations today

Two years ago I posted a mural on an alternator shop.  This bilingual mural is inside the entry of the same business.  The style is naive but the wishes are heartfelt.  The quotation reminds us of  Dr. King's famous speech as we honor his birthday.  The mural, which supported Obama's initial candidacy, now serves as a reminder of his second inauguration today.

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.

Z is for zany

 

At a Friday Art Murmur I noticed this guy wearing a vest he had decorated with parts of a vegetable steamer basket.  (Zany is all around you at Art Murmur).  I thought it was clever, amusing, and pretty fashion forward.  We got to talking and he told me he made jewelry.  Ever helpful, I encouraged him to get a booth in this building to show and sell his work.  He was quite polite when he told me that Gump's and Bloomingdales were already his clients.  Oh.  Never mind.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

W is for Whiskeydrome

The Whiskeydrome is a group of guys who like to build stuff.  They made this in homage to the traveling velodromes that amazed folks with their daring-do early in the 20th century.  Here they impress the crowds at the annual Pedalfest in Jack London Square.  This photo was taken in August.  Today it's sunny but cold and we're all shivering in our boots.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

what is this?

Structures seen at Peralta Junction near sunset.  Don't know if they have a mechanical function but I saw them as sculptures.

Monday Mural: third eye

Here's one last mural on canvas I'm showing from Peralta Junction.  I like the mystical vibe, the 3rd eye, and the essence vapors featured in this piece.  For some reason it makes me think of Jimi Hendrix, whose music continues to be magical.  This traveling carnival closes soon, and then all the murals that border the site will be taken down.

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'll find them everywhere.  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.

parklet

A couple of weeks ago I visited the inauguration at Manifesto Bicycles of Oakland's second permanent parklet.  The parklet movement is big in Oakland and San Francisco.  It essentially creates permanent mini public seating bumped out into what had been a parking spot.  This one had succulents planted behind the seating and a shaved tree limb reaching from the seats out to the sidewalk.  A band played and a neighboring brew pub offered libations.  Even the mayor showed up.  visit Our Oakland for a slideshow of the event.

Monday Mural: myopic walrus

Another canvas mural from Peralta Junction.  Don't ask me what this has to do with an old timey "traveling midway of curiosities," but it is amusing.  Now that I think about it, a monocle toting walrus would be a curiosity.

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 mural finds posted this week.

Q is for quirky

We do quirky real well in Oakland.  This contraption was only one of several unusual wheeled vehicles at the summer Pedalfest in Jack London Square.  This is an annual event that promotes bikes and biking.  Often with tongue firmly in cheek.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Day of the Dead

Yesterday was the Day of the Dead.  In some countries it also is celebrated on November 2.  This small tableau can be found in the Oakland Museum's gift shop.

ABC Wednesday: P is for Pomo Indian

Last week I showed you the special Ohlone basket recently brought into the Oakland Museum's collection.  As part of the ceremony and celebration, a group of Pomo Indians performed sacred dances prior to the basket's presentation.   Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Halloween parade

The annual Piedmont Avenue Halloween Parade is the Saturday before Halloween.  Adults have as much fun (or more) as the kids dressing up and walking about.  Last year Frida Kahlo was seen on the Avenue more than once.  I guess the unibrow was a popular look.  This year it was all about fairies.

out for a ride

This little guy was a whiz on his scooter.  He easily rode around the crowd without causing problems or irritation.  His fedora added a dashing touch of style to his appearance.  Spotted at the Black Cowboy Parade in West Oakland.

O is for Ohlone

The Ohlone Indians lived along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay for thousands of years before Europeans came to the area.  Ohlone baskets are extremely rare, in part due to the tribal practice of burning personal possession upon death.  The Oakland Museum commissioned Linda Yamane, a Rumsien Ohlone of the Monterey area, to make a basket for the museum's vast collection.  Featuring 20,000 stitches, several thousand feathers, and 1,200 handcrafted Olivella shell beads, the extremely rare basket took Yamane nearly three years to create.  It is believed that it has been 250 years since this type of ceremonial basket has been made.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Cowboys in Oakland? Yep!

Saturday was the 38th annual parade organized by the Oakland Black Cowboy Association (OBCA).

The homespun parade was held at DeFremery Park in West Oakland and included high school ROTC drill teams, Girl Scouts, the Red Hat ladies, a book club, local politicians, and church groups.  The highlight was, of course, the cowboys and guest charros from Lincoln, CA.

The parade was smaller than in past years due to the organization's dwindling membership, but the crowd was enthusiastic and there was literal dancing in the streets.

The OBCA educates the public, especially school children, about the history of black cowboys, estimated to have comprised 25% of the West's cowboys after the Civil War.

The cowboys were particularly attentive to the kids in the crowd who were entranced by the horses.  A barbeque and zydeco dancing capped off the event.

K is for knitting

Fashionable knitted goods at a yarn festival near the lake.  Linked to ABC Wednesday.

Spruce Deuce

The Spruce Deuce spotted at Pedalfest last weekend.

F is for face painting

This post could just as easily be called A is for ambivalence.  The little guy wanted to have a balloon painted on his face, but didn't seem to like the sensation.  In the end, he stuck it out.  Spotted at Pedalfest, an annual event promoting bicycling for fun and transportation.  Linking to ABC Wednesday.

POTUS

President Obama was in Oakland on Monday for three fund raising events.  Well, one event was actually in a private home in Piedmont-- a small, wealthy, independent city within Oakland.  The excitement of being able to see him and his motorcade brought out many folks including your's truly.  I took tons of pictures but stopped just as his limo drove by and instead waved at the tinted windows.  My partner insists that he waved back.

Monday Mural: tree mural

This new mural is at Telegraph and 43rd Street.  It covers the entire length of the building and looks like it is a collaboration among a number of street artists.  This section is signed by Billy Sprague.    His style looks simple, but once you start following the lines you realize it's quite complicated.  I like the way he plays with positive and negative space.  The upper corner looks like it was done by a different artist.

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.