Back in April I noted that the children’s shoe store Tiny Feet opened in December in Theatre Square in Orinda and passing by recently I noticed it has closed. Not sure when it closed, but if you’re looking for children’s shoes you can drop by Howard’s Shoes in the back of Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek and next door at the Nordstrom children’s shoe section on the 3rd floor.
I’ve been meaning to update this site’s logo for a while now and finally found a great designer to update it. Interestingly, he was able to reuse the three swirls from the original logo:
What do you think of the new logo? Did you notice Mt. Diablo in the logo?
Has anyone noticed gas prices going through the roof this weekend? I had read about refinery issues in Southern California but didn’t expect it to affect the Bay Area. But when I headed to the highway and passed some gas stations I did a double take. What the?
It looks like Governor Brown is trying to bring prices down by allowing winter-blend gas to be sold early:
Gov. Jerry Brown ordered state smog regulators Sunday to allow winter-blend gasoline to be sold in California earlier than usual to help drive prices down. Winter-blend gas typically isn’t sold until after October 31. Few refineries outside the state are currently making summer-blend gas, putting the pressure on already-taxed California manufacturers.
It’s a bit of relief that I purchased a more fuel efficient car to replace the Honda Civic I recently sold, but I hope prices go down soon.
From the Ruth Bancroft Garden website:
Free admission
$1 Activity Tickets
The carnival meets The Ruth Bancroft Garden for a family event where you can play games, win prizes, and enjoy the garden with your family.
Play carnival games
Members of the community will have a chance to enter into our scarecrow contest and attendees of the Fall Festival will cast their votes to determine the winner.
To enter into the Scarecrow Contest:
Create your own scarecrow and become part of The Ruth Bancroft Garden’s Fall Festival by displaying your scarecrow in The Garden. We’ll give you the frame, you provide the creativity, and you could be the winner! Individuals, Families and small groups are encouraged to enter.
Contest Categories:
The three most popular scarecrows (regardless of category) will be determined by popular vote on the day of the festival. Fill our our entry form to reserve your spot! There is no entry fee to participate in this contest.
Broadway Plaza has lost a children’s favorite as Build-A-Bear closed last Sunday. This can’t be good for nearby children’s clothing stores Janie and Jack and Gymboree as Build-A-Bear probably brought a lot of little kid traffic to the mall.
Diablo Style notes that an upgraded and high-tech Build-A-Bear will appear in Pleasanton’s Stoneridge Mall on October 5th. I wonder if Build-A-Bear’s decision to leave Broadway Plaza is in anyway related to the future possibility of the plaza getting demolished a few years down the road to make way for larger stores and higher development?
Photo by Flickr user Señor Hans
A few days ago a letter sent to the Mercury News described how an unleashed dog escaped a neighbor’s yard in Walnut Creek and attacked a woman’s companion Yorkshire Terrier pet she got to deal with her son going away to college years ago. This is very unfortunate, and as was noted, it could have been far worse had a small child been involved.
Can anything be done to mitigate dog attacks? Since I recently started running I’m always on the trails with dog owners and I always wonder what I would do if a dog started attacking me. Any suggestions?
From The New Rheem Theatre website:
When: 9pm Oct. 19th
Where: The New Rheem Theatre, Moraga
What: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
Back in August I noted that Lottie’s Creamery was going to open in downtown Walnut Creek on N. Main St. and recently I had a chance to get a sneak preview of the construction and chat with owner Deb Phillips who mentioned that they plan on opening mid-November if everything goes as planned.
Taking a look at the above photo; the rectangular space is going to be a window so people can look inside to see the ice cream being made. As noted previously, they will have their own pasteurizer in-house to make the ice cream. You can see what flavors will be offered here. In addition to these flavors they will also offer seasonal flavors such as peppermint chip and maple just in time for Christmas.
I had a chance to try Deb’s marshmallows that she is experimenting with and it tasted amazing. I can’t wait until this place opens up! The flavor I most want to try is Rocky Road (dark chocolate ice cream, marshmallows and candied almonds). What flavor are you most looking forward to?
Spotted in downtown Walnut Creek, I’m not sure sitting on an American flag makes the most sense but…
From Sustainable Lafayette: The Lafayette Community Garden is flourishing, as members prepare for their first community Harvest Festival October 14th from 12 – 3. The entire Lafayette community is invited!
