California's State Flower, the California poppy
Berkeley Botanic Gardens
We are spending some time this spring in Oakland, California for a real change of scene, and we need to re-connect with family and see their new house! To visit with our son, his wife and our grandchildren, we fly out and land in the Bay Area and migrate to the BushRod neighborhood where our family has put down new roots.....
Bay Area view from Old Rose Garden
In the Hills above Berkeley is a wonderful Botanic Garden which we visit on a glorious spring day and it is truly a feast for the eyes! Along with the California poppies ( above ) , we found Bottle Brush and Redwood Trees which soared over our heads. This is a great way to do some sightseeing as there is a terrific view of the Bay right from the Old Rose Garden up a narrow path. I took a side trip to visit the Herb Garden and it just smells wonderful with Mandarin Orange tree in bloom and and a patch of Rosa Rugosa that was Lucious. Stop by the Japanese Pool for a look at the Iris plants and all in all a most satisfying experience.
The next day we are heading to Emeryville and the waterfront, but before we do our son Nate, introduces us to Forest Stearns who is an artist that lives just down the street, and he is AWESOME! He graciously shows us his basement studio with artworks underway that boggle the mind…really! He is working on a project that helps portray the quantum computers being engineered in a facility that would make every techie green with envy. Forest has given TED talks so he knows how to communicate his love for art and science, and I told him that we speak the same language ( though I haven’t gotten into the realm of Quantum mechanics ). Forest as an artist has put his paintings and illustrations out there in space on satellites, and down home in California on quantum computers. He really bridges the gaps between science and art. Check him out at Draw Everywhere Studios...
Another day we spent some time at the Oakland Museum, which really is on more than one level. In fact there is a Natural Science floor which will remind you of the Museum of Natural History with dioramas and interesting graphics that dig deep into science, and the history of the terrain we were standing in.
The Oakland Art Museum is a place we have visited before and there are always new things ( and old ) to take in. This time there is a special exhibition having to do with works of clay that feature sculpture by Peter Voulkos and tableware by Edith Heath ( and her studio ). I found a video about Heath to be very enlightening and also enjoyed the little gallery full of paintings by
Hung Liu ( see below ).
