photo of the week: The Necklace of Lights

The other night while waiting for K, I walked down by Lake Merritt. It was a balmy evening, and very pleasant to just sit and people watch and enjoy the lights.

This is the second permanent necklace of lights; the first was installed in 1925, then shut off during WWII because of blackout restrictions. But the original necklace wasn't lit every night, only for special occasions. The current necklace dates from 1985, and we have The Lake Merritt Breakfast Club and numerous donors to thank for it.

2016 Delilah Beasley Tea

Sunday I took pictures at the 5th annual Delilah Beasley Tea. About 100 years ago, Delilah Beasley was the first black woman to published regularly in a major U.S. newspaper, and was the author of a ground-breaking book on the contributions of blacks in the early settling of California. Each year, P.O.W.E.R. (Progressive Oakland Women Empowering Reform) honors a remarkable woman while remembering the accomplishments of those in the past. This year's honoree was Kimberly Ellis (on the left), the executive director of Emerge California.



Lots more pictures of the 2016 Delilah Beasley Tea.

photos: view from above

Last week Annalee Allen and I did a presentation about Oakland history at the Lake Park Retirement Community, focused on some of the landmarks in Oakland and the people behind them. It went well, though I didn't sell any copies of Legendary Locals of Oakland, but what I was really excited about was a chance to check out the view from the roof. The building is on Alice Street near Snow Park, and has views of Lake Merritt, downtown, and beyond. Maybe someday I'll be able to afford a drone camera, but for now, tall buildings will have to do.