not quite thirds

In photography and other visual arts, there's the well-known "rule" of thirds, which says one of the best ways to compose an image is by putting important things along imaginary lines at 1/3 and 2/3 vertically and horizontally. For example, if you shoot a sunset, place the horizon at 1/3 from the bottom to emphasize the sky, or 1/3 from the top to emphasize the foreground. There are plenty of times to break the rule, such as if you have something reflecting off water, in which case putting the horizon at the middle is sometimes the best.

In any event, I had it firmly in mind when I shot this image this morning at the Habitat for Humanity work site in East Oakland. I did my best to line things up visually, and unlike a lot of my images that I crop or otherwise tweak, this is "straight out of the camera":

It's not a perfect application of the rule, but I was pleased with the result, especially since it's completely unmodified. For those who are curious, the razor wire and wall are for an adjacent business. The wooden structure below are "corrals" for the future homeowners' trash and recycling bins. They'll have matching doors on the front to hide the bins when not being used.

Oakland Underground Film Festival

Last week was the 3rd annual Oakland Underground Film Festival. Other commitments kept me from seeing as much of it as I would have liked, but what I saw, I loved. The Oakland UFF is a showcase for independent film, with a special emphasis on social justice, urban life, and the environment.

Opening night was at the Grand Lake Theater, and featured Yelling to the Sky, and it packs a punch. The Oakland UFF site describes it with:

A graceful churning of sound, color, and chaotic emotion, Victoria Mahoney’s semi-autobiographical directorial and screenwriting debut has been called “the cinematic equivalent of Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew,” and it burns as it goes down, leaving you slightly dizzy, staring into the clouds. Starring the luminous Zöe Kravitz as Sweetness and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) as her high school nemesis, Yelling to the Sky is a coming-of-age mash-up of raw emotion where the only answer to the brutal riddle of urban adolescence is to join in the fight for acceptance and survival.

The film doesn't vary from Sweetness' viewpoint, so you never get an answer to some questions, like why her dad changed the way he did. It had great cinematography (especially the dinner scene), all the more amazing for being done all in two takes or less. Victoria Mahoney was there for the showing, and had a Q&A session after. She explained the 'two takes or less' was purely a financial decision; they couldn't afford to shoot all the scenes she wanted if they did more takes. While that pressured the crew, it ended up bringing a live theater-like feeling to the production -- every body brought their best to every scene.

Mahoney described some of resistance she got to making the film, "Nobody's going to want that film", and complaints (from white, over-40 movie types) that it was "too slowed-paced for today's youth". She said she made the film she wanted to make, and kept going back to the responses of the under-20 crowd to make sure she was on track.

Two thumbs up for Yelling to the Sky. See the website for Yelling to the Sky for more info about future viewings.

The rest of the festival featured an eclectic mix of independent films. At the far end of the grittiness scale was an endearing collection of short films featuring the stop-motion heroine Komaneko:


Did you see any of the Oakland Underground Film Festival films? How'd you like them? How was the after party at NIMBY?

signs: Mother's Cookies

Mother's Cookies

Mother's Cookies used to be an Oakland institution. It was founded in 1914, after Woodrow Wilson declared Mother's Day to be a national holiday. It hummed along for many years after that. My dad (who was born in Oakland and raised in Oakland and Berkeley) has always been a Mother's Cookies fan. Especially the oatmeal raisin cookies, whether the small ones (my favorite) or the full-sized. As late as 2004, Mother's had 10% of the U.S. cookie market.

But after various sales, mergers, etc., the cookie crumbled. Without warning, the owners in 2006 laid off the 230 workers in Oakland and moved operations elsewhere. Within two years, the parent company was bankrupt. Kellogg's bought the Mother's Cookie assets, and by mid-2009, had reintroduced Mother's Cookies to stores.

I don't know if they have any corporate presence left in Oakland, but on 81st Ave., across from the Sunshine Biscuit factory, and just down the street from where the Mother's Cookie factory was, there's an office building with the distinctive Mother's Cookies logos painted on it and a sign in front.

Habitat for Humanity Build-a-thon

2011 Build-a-thon

Saturday through Tuesday was Habitat for Humanity East Bay's annual Earth Day Build-a-thon. Hundreds of volunteers came together to frame 7 houses for deserving families at the second part of the Kinsell Commons project at Tassafaronga Village in the Woodland neighborhood.

I'm still tired after four long, physically demanding days, but it's a good tired. Read and see more photos at the Habitat East Bay Thrivent Builds blog. Also check out the nice video on Oakland North.

Many thanks to all who donated to support Habitat. Over $100,000 was raised to help build more affordable, green housing.

new Habitat homes beginning

cutting roof sheathing

Guess where I spent today? If you guessed across the street from the new East Oakland library, you're right! I spent the day at the Habitat for Humanity worksite which will be the site of the 2011 build-a-thon (it's not too late to sponsor me! Many thanks to those who already have.) It's literally across 81st Ave. from the new library and the two adjacent schools. I helped put the roof sheathing on the first house being built. Before each build-a-thon, we frame one model house, to try to work out any problems ahead of time. And yes, it was hot, or at least felt that way to me. Certainly not August/September heat, but plenty warm with the sun reflecting back up off the OSB we were nailing down. Between that and the ride home, I'm too wiped to head to to this month's Art Murmur, alas.

support Habitat for Humanity!

2010 build-a-thon

As you probably know, I'm a long-time volunteer and supporter of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat East Bay (HEB) is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, which is working to eliminate poverty housing world-wide, one house at a time. Habitat houses are simple, decent, and affordable to low-income families around the world. Part of how HEB supports Habitat world-wide is by tithing -- at least 10% of the funds raised support Habitat's mission in other countries. Currently HEB is supporting affiliates in Afghanistan, Tanzania and El Salvador.

There are a variety of ways to support Habitat East Bay, centered around volunteering and/or donating. Coming up is a unique way to do both -- HEB's annual Earth Day build-a-thon. It's a four day event, HEB's biggest fundraiser and building event of the year. In four days we'll be framing 7 houses, from the foundation up to the roof. Like a walk-a-thon, participants raise funds, in this case to help pay for the lumber and nails used in framing the houses. It's a somewhat crazy event, but a lot of fun. If you're interested in participating, read more about it on HEB's build-a-thon page.

If you don't feel up to participating in the build-a-thon, you can sponsor me! I'm trying to raise $250 for each of the 4 days, and I'm halfway there. Donations to HEB are tax deductible as allowed by law, and donations of any size are welcomed. If you'd rather not have some eaten up by credit card fees, et al, you can write a check to Habitat for Humanity East Bay and I'll deliver it personally.

You can also donate or volunteer during the rest of the year, when there's no fundraising requirement. The building pace is a lot more laid back, and it's a great opportunity to learn some handy skills. I've been at it a while, but I learned enough and gained enough confidence to design and build a small addition to our house. No guarantee you'll come away ready for that, but you will learn some handy skills, work with some great people, and help build affordable housing for a family here in Oakland. And if construction isn't your thing, help is needed in the office and on various committees, too. Support Habitat for Humanity, and make Oakland, the East Bay and the world a little better.

Habitat dedication at Tassafaronga

Kinsell Commons

Families, friends, volunteers and government leaders gathered on Saturday at Kinsell Commons in Tassafaronga Village to dedicate 14 new Habitat for Humanity homes.

There were a number of speakers, including Habitat East Bay CEO Janice Jensen, board chair David Barron, Oakland Housing Authority Executive Director Eric Johnson, Oakland mayor Jean Quan, Oakland council member Larry Reid and state Senator Loni Hancock. All of them spoke about the improvements in the area, not just the new Habitat homes, but the surrounding affordable apartments, nearby schools and the brand-new East Oakland library. The public housing project that used to be where the Tassaforanga development now stands was in terrible shape, and a magnet for crime. Now there are clean, comfortable apartments and homes.

Mayor Jean Quan

Mayor Quan spoke briefly (she was headed next for her townhall meeting in Havenscourt), but long enough to get some digs in about former mayor and now California governor Jerry Brown, and about the continuing need for redevelopment funds -- Jerry is currently trying to end redevelopment agencies in California. Some redevelopment projects are bad, but there's no arguing that redevelopment has helped Oakland, in particular East Oakland. Read about the potential impact on Habitat for Humanity.

Regardless of how you feel about redevelopment, this area of East Oakland is getting better. Tammerlin Drummond wrote about Deep East Oakland rising in January. Habitat for Humanity East Bay has been working to help make Oakland (and the entire East Bay) better for over 20 years, and I've been volunteering with them for 15 of those, mostly in East Oakland. Besides Kinsell Commons (14+8 homes), there are Habitat developments on Edes Avenue (54 homes) and 105th Avenue (40 homes) as well as several smaller developments and rehabs. I've watched some of the ups and downs of the area over the years, and it is slowly improving.

Habitat builds affordable home ownership opportunities and communities, both here in Oakland and around the world. Habitat sells homes at cost to qualifying families. In lieu of a down payment, the family is required to put in 500 hours of "sweat equity" helping build their home and those of their neighbors. To keep things affordable, they get interest-free loans based on their income. (To make sure the houses stay affordable, Habitat gets first right to buy back a home if a family needs to sell.) And to help make this all work, Habitat uses a lot of volunteers, both on the worksite and in the office to make it all come together. The resulting homes are green, with green design features to keep the environmental impact and energy usage low. (Thanks to PG&E and Grid Alternatives for the solar PV systems.) And to help families make it as first-time homeowners, Habitat builds communities, involving homeowners and making sure they get to know their neighbors before their homes are even built.

happy new homeowners

Check out the great coverage (including video) at Oakland North. For more pictures and coverage, check out the Habitat East Bay / Thrivent Builds blog.

Additional pictures at Habitat East Bay's Facebook page.

fall color, Oakland-style

fall color

Ispotted this bit of fall color as I was leaving the Habitat for Humanity site in the Woodland neighborhood, near Tassafaronga Rec Center.

Earth Day 2010

Earth

Happy 40th Earth Day! I spent the last 4 days at the Habitat for Humanity Earth Day Build-a-thon (day 1, 2, 3, 4). We framed 10 houses in 4 days, going from foundation to roof trusses, even with some rain on Tuesday morning. Habitat East Bay has been using green building techniques for years and continues to refine them.

Habitat for Humanity Build-a-thon

Oakland North has coverage of what Oaklanders have been up to in order to celebrate Earth Day and make Oakland a better place.

The Oakland Tribune writes about the improvements to Bay Area air, water and land quality in the last 40 years and the challenges that lie ahead. There's also a great article about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle for free by using sites like Freecycle. The article includes a list of other sites for borrowing and other ways to reduce the amount of stuff we buy.

lots of goats!

Finally, we have a great green solution for reducing the flammable undergrowth on Oakland hillsides. I took this picture while riding home today, and the goats clearly love their work. You can hear them happily munching away over the car noise from highway 24. Read more at Today in Montclair (though right now the goats are in Hiller Highlands.)

Habitat Build-A-Thon 2010

Just a quick post to refer you to one of my other blogs, the Habitat for Humanity East Bay / Thrivent Builds blog. I'll be blogging daily coverage of the 2010 build-a-thon there. And thank you for the donations to support Habitat's mission!

day 1 volunteers and homeowners

signs: Schirmer Liquors

Schirmer Liquors

With the new Habitat for Humanity development in Woodland in East Oakland, I've been slowly branching out from my usual route to the previous development in Sobrante Park. It's not that far away, but Google Maps suggested different routes that were shorter. And the last two weeks I've been picking up my wife's cousin at Coliseum BART for him to come volunteer at Habitat, too. So it was on one of my new meanderings that I found this sign on Seminary. It's currently called Seminary Market, but the great sign still reads Schirmer Liquors. Googling on that turns up this interesting tidbit:

Leslie Ivan SUTTON was born on 19 Sep 1920 in Flagler, Kit Carson Co, Colorado, USA. He Graduated from Flagler High School in 1938 in Flagler, Kit Carson Co, Colorado, USA. He was a Flight Cadet in Army Air Corps in Sep 1940. He was a Captain in the Army Air Corps in Feb 1946. He was a Proprietor of Schirmer's Liquor Store between 1960 and 1982 in Oakland, Alameda Co, California, USA. He died in Jan 1982. He was buried at Flagler Cemetery in Flagler, Kit Carson Co, Colorado, USA.

No idea if the neon still works, but it appears to be in good shape at least on this side of the sign.

Rebuilding Together Oakland

Decent housing is a basic need for everyone. Habitat for Humanity is a great organization, working to eliminate substandard housing world-wide (BTW, thanks for the build-a-thon donations!) In the U.S., that's largely done through building new homes which are sold to low-income people currently paying too much of their income to rent sub-standard housing.

But a trip around Oakland or pretty much any city will show you a large stock of homes of another sort. These aren't people who are about to lose their homes because of sub-prime mortgages, or who bought something bigger than they can afford, or are paying most of their income for rent. These are people who own their homes, and have worked hard to purchase them. But because of age, illness, and/or income level haven't been able to maintain and improve their homes. That's where Rebuilding Together (RTO) comes in.

Mildred

Like Habitat, they use mostly volunteers, and homeowners have to qualify for the service. Through the month of April, groups of volunteers descend on the selected homes and work to repair and upgrade them. I volunteered with RTO for the first time on Saturday, and joined a dozen or so others from around the Bay Area to help Mildred, a homeowner in East Oakland. She raised 7 children, most of whom she put through college, too. The home was one of the first in the area, built at least 100 years ago. The family added on to the back in the 1940s, but it's still a small house. Mildred is 83, and suffers from arthritis and other health problems, but she's still active at her church (where she's known as 'the mother of the church' because of her ubiquitous nurturing.) She uses a cane to get around the house, and a mobility chair (RTO put in a wheelchair lift last year) for longer trips.

There's a list of problems with the house, but the first problem was getting in to work on them. Every time any of Mildred's children moved, it was: "Hey mom, can I keep some of my stuff there? I'll get it later." Add to that donations collected for church and the homeless in her neighborhood. Add to that 30+ years of "stuff" from living there. So most of us spent the morning moving stuff from the house and storage in the backyard to 3 piles: (1) keep (2) donate or (3) dumpster. Fortunately several of her children (and one grandchild) were there to help sort through things. Unfortunately some of the stuff was water-damaged, so the dumpster pile was pretty big. But we set aside various items, and several different scrap haulers took at least one and half pickup loads to the scrapyard instead.

very full dumpster

After lunch, we split into different groups. One worked on sorting stuff from the attic; others cleaned out the kitchen and pulled down the water-damaged ceiling; a couple of people demolished the bathroom. The main electrical panel had been updated by RTO, but there were approximately three (3) outlets through the entire house. I worked with a volunteer contractor on installing some new electrical outlets. While he worked with another volunteer to run new wires under the house, I cut holes in the walls for new outlets.

There's still a lot of work to do, but we made good progress on repairing Mildred's home and making it safer and more comfortable for her, too. Rebuilding Together Oakland also works throughout the year with their Safe-At-Home & Energy Efficiency program. As with Habitat, you don't have to be skilled, but if you do have skills that's always a bonus! I'll be volunteering later in April (after the build-a-thon), but I'm not sure if I'll be assigned to Mildred's house or another.