Oakland, SFO 29 May 2023

Off surprisingly early (9:45) and missing (so far) only the cable for downloading Rochelle's pictures. Gorgeous carpet of green through the redwoods, and then unseasonably green through Boonville and even to Yorkville. Below, a look northeast from Highway 128 toward the crest of the Coast Range.

For Memorial Day, an easy drive – slowdown at the 3-2 crunch south of Petaluma, and again at the Maze east of the Bay Bridge, but otherwise smooth, if you can imagine five lanes of cars spaced two lengths apart (mixed with big trucks) whizzing along at 70 miles per hour as 'smooth.' A little nerve racking for us country mice! A little south of Santa Rosa we agreed, 'this is farther away from home than we've been for a lo-o-ong time.'

A few moments of respite in Damiana's gorgeous backyard without another human habitation (and one lonely cloud) in sight.

We met Marlo, the new dog, a gentle, antic replacement for the previous dogs. We miss Daschiell and Duke. 

Damiana took us to a favorite restaurant down next to Jack London Square in Oakland: Nido's Backyard. A perfect place to assemble a broad sampling of Oakland's best; one of the finest urban places in the world, in my 'umble opinion. (Factoring in, I'm an Oakland boy born and bred.)

Damiana ordered – delicious Quesabirria de Res (left), Ceviche, and Ensalada Picada, washed down with an awesome citrusy Agua Fresca of the day.

Downtown Oakland has gone through cycles just like the city. The eighth largest city in California, Damiana characterizes its problems thusly: “Poor Oakland can't get out of its own way. Its a big city [nearly half a million residents] that governs itself like a small town.” My own abiding love for Oakland, my own 'home town', comes from my sense that it's a city on the bleeding edge, confronting big city problems and (mostly) solving them before other cities, same size and larger, have even recognized they have a problem. Living, as it does, in the shadow of Big Sister San Francisco across the bay ('everbody's favorite city') it has to find its way without the help and fame given to stand-alone cities like New Orleans and Chicago. Yes, the Black Panthers and the Hell's Angels started here, but Jerry (Governor Moonbeam) Brown was its mayor and it is now home to more resiliency / ecologically responsible nonprofits than anywhere else in the US. Why? 'Cause for the Bay Area, it's relatively affordable, and very civilized in it's treatment of differences. 

As an 'Oakland ex-pat' I would have to add that it's a wonderful place to start, and a great place to be from.

Here's a look at the Amtrak tracks right across from Nido's Backyard. Nice fence.