Wordless Wednesday: Amador City.... Yes, the sandwich and soda were delicious.

I Feel like I Have Failed All of You

I hate to break this to you but your chances of buying that house in Berkeley, Ca. have pretty much gone down the toilet. I have never had such a response to a post of mine before and I feel kind of responsible for the outcome of this story. This afternoon I looked up the listing and it wasn't there, so I went to "listings sold" and..., are you sitting down?...,OUR beautiful house, that one blogger said she would buy as soon as she got her jogging shoes on to run to the bank for "earnest money"; and another who thought we should all get together and buy it as a group; and one artist in Cambria, Ca. who asked if they might take one of her teapots as a down payment...., is"PENDING".

I was so upset that I went outside and watered the garden, picked up the dog poop, fertilized the roses, cut back the irises and told the goats to be quiet when the poor guys just wanted to tell me about the lack of grass in the field. Then I just stared at the Basil, which needs to be picked and made into Pesto before it bolts and flowers.

Then I had a better idea....

I went down town and got a pedicure. It was worth every dollar spent. I came home feeling so much better.
I'm so sorry about the "Masterpiece in Redwood". I really hoped that one of you (with a lot of money, of course) would buy it so my sister I could come and visit...., and I could brag that it was Farmlady who told you about it. Sometimes life is just not fare. Sometimes you just have to go and have your toenails painted to feel better.

Vintage Thursday: Want to buy a house?

This beautiful house in Berkeley, CA. is for sale. My sister and I went to an Art Festival a few weeks ago and on our way home we saw an "home open" sign. When we saw the house we came to a screeching halt, parked the car and went inside for a look. Wow! This is a gorgeous old home built in 1914. ( for all of you youngsters, that was before EVERYTHING. Most folks were still driving around in a buggy pulled by horses.) It's in "move in" condition and is being sold at a "bargain" price..., well, a bargain for Berkeley.

It has 3 bedrooms( each with it's own sun porch), 3 full baths, a lovely terrace off the living room that's covered with Wisteria and a remodeled kitchen with a pantry to die for. It's all redwood and the wonderful staircase leads to a landing with windows and built in shelves and file or magazine slots. There is a distant view of San Francisco Bay and each window looks out over other lovely homes and gardens. The house is 3439 sq. ft. on a lot of 7600 sq. ft. I don't know about the condition of the plumbing and electricity but in a house this old it would be a good idea to ask questions.

This home is so beautiful and has such a good feel about it. My sister and I walked through it thinking about how nice it would be to live here..., talking about what we would do if we owned it and how we would decorate it and the surrounding garden. Oh, well, we can dream. It's always fun to dream.
This home was special. I could feel the love and comfort whispering in every corner. As we left, I thought I heard a quiet voice...., "Buy me, please. Love me. I need a family to move into me and I will wrap my wooden arms around them forever....
Is anyone interested ?

For other Vintage posts, see the list on Colorado Lady's Blog. Click on photos for a close up view.

Short Trip Filled with Good Things

This was a nice trip down to the Bay Area. The weather was beautiful and I got to see Mom again. She is doing much better. I think that her trip to the hospital made such a bad impression on her that she has willed herself to feel better. She is on oxygen all the time now. You can see the huge canister next to the bookcase. She calls it the "atom bomb" and doesn't like it in her room. What a funny lady she can be. She has filled her room with many of her belongings from the house. Each time she goes over with someone she brings back more things. The CNA's joke with her that they are going to have to add on an "addition" to her room, soon, so she will have more space to put her things. Mom says if she can't be at home then this is how she makes it feel like "home". They are the nicest folks and take such good care of Mom. They don't seems to mind all the things that she has accumulated. They are so understanding. It makes such a difference to Mom.
A dove is sitting on two eggs on the front porch of the rest home. This bird chose a hanging basket and there she sits (left bottom photo) looking at me and hoping I don't get any closer. I saw Mom everyday and that dove was always there. Mom can see this nest from her window and she is hoping that she will see the babies when they are born.
It was a busy weekend. Saturday we went to our favorite "once a month" store, Room With A Past, on 3rd. St. in Walnut Creek and on Sunday we drove to Berkeley, to an Art Festival at the Live Oak Recreation Center. Lots of beautiful handmade things: Wonderful jewelry, hand crafted one of a kind items that were very beautiful and expensive. The weather was really warm, for Berkeley, and the venue was a lovely park in a residental area at the north end of Shattuck Ave. We had a nice time .

Queen Bee; dripping with honey.

If you drive in from Oakland and go east through the Caldecott Tunnel on hiway 24, you will come to a town called Lafayette. It's a upper class suburb of the Bay Area and a very nice place to live; with lot's of charming shops and restaurants. This one is called Queen Bee and it's a wonderful place to visit. I think that it was a small house at one time. Now it has been turned into a lovely store with absolutely marvelous things for your home.

Each room is a different color and each is filled with an amazing assortment of things to buy. One room was filled with ribbon , lace, cards , buttons and miscellany that any collage artist would go crazy over.

Check out the beautiful blue bench. I love it! This shop is a feast for the eyes.

This room was probably my favorite. I love yellow and the pig on the table is just waiting for someone to take him home. I'm afraid it wasn't me, so he's still waiting. (As far as I know.)

The Queen Bee is at 261 Lafayette Circle in Downtown Lafayette

From the Foothills to the Ocean, in style and chocolate

I dread the arrival of summer here in the Foothills. It gets so hot up here. I love the heat for maybe 2 or 3 reasons: my vegetable garden early in the morning, wading in the Mokeulmne River looking for gold and the evenings with it's fragrance of the oaks and manzanitas. That's about it. From late June to almost Halloween it's just nasty, horrible hot, hot, hot here. I've never gotten use to it and always try to rationalize why I continue to live in such a furnace. I guess I put up with the summers so I can enjoy the rest of the year. Where else can you take long walks in winter and not have to worry about a freek snow storm? Only here do I wake up to deer drinking out of the water bucket we leave for them and coyote songs. So now, thanks to my sister's generosity, I have an escape. She offers her lovely second home to everyone, but I get priority treatment: After all, I am her only sister....., and she lovvvves me. Right sis? (That was all a bit too ingratiating wasn't it?, but when the summer heat is involved, I'm shameless.)

Even though it isn't summer yet, I jumped at the invite to spend a couple of days with Sis at her place. The weather was cold, windy and mostly sunny. We had such a good time. Mostly just relaxing, but we did manage some shopping. On our way over we hit a few places in Berkeley, down on 4th St. Great stores and good food! Then In Pacifica there is a Ross store. From Sur La Table and Anthropologie.... to Ross: from the sublime and expensive to the "Oh wow! What a deal.!" store. We bought some food at Safeway( and lots of chocolate) so we wouldn't have to leave once we settled in. We had a good dinner, watched T.V., gave each other a back rub and did our stretching exercises , then, with no guilt at all, we ate CHOCOLATE.
The next day we drove around and looked at all the little cottages and homes tucked up into the canyons over looking the town of Pacifica, lusting over a few of them. Then we took a walk on the Pacifica Pier. This took great bravery on my part because, and I hate to confess this, I'm extremely afraid of the ocean. Yes I am! My camera has become my lifeline and seems to take my mind off of where I would never be if I didn't want to take pictures so badly. I have been on this pier twice and I always get a bit shaky out there. It was very windy last week and the waves were huge. About half-way out they roared under us and shook the pileings and the whole pier vibrated. Taking photos didn't overcome the panic and I said something to the effect of "That's it. I'm going back." Then, I thought about a strong earthquake hitting the coast and swallowing that pier and tossing it into the first ocean trench it could find. I was out of there. There is no "good" reason to be out beyond the sand and serf when you can see it from the shore. That my belief and no one will ever change it. Sis was very kind and followed me back to the parking lot, but I know she was smiling...., and thinking, " My big sister; the brave one. " Dad would have called me a "Landlubber". He was in the Navy.
We went back to her place and ate CHOCOLATE.

Went to see my cousin in Berkeley; the town is quieter than in the 60's. The hippies are senior citizens.