This Missing German Shepherd sign is posted everywhere in Lafayette, if you have seen him please let them know so he can be reunited with their family.
This Missing German Shepherd sign is posted everywhere in Lafayette, if you have seen him please let them know so he can be reunited with their family.
From the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce:
What: 16th Annual Lafayette Art & Wine Festival
When: Saturday, September 15, 2012 from 10am – 7pm AND
Sunday, September 16, 2012 from 10am – 6pm
Where:
Downtown Lafayette, California (Google Map) – Off Highway 24, west of the I-680/Highway 24 interchange. Download 2010 Art & Wine Festival MapDirections:
Take BART to Lafayette OR
- Take Highway 24 to Central Lafayette exit and follow Festival signs.
- Free parking available at Lafayette BART station (upper lot).
Ride your bike to the festival and use our Free Bike Valet Parking at 82 Lafayette Circle (just behind the Art Stage).
Continuous shuttle service between BART & the Festival.
For GPS purposes enter the address 3535 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CAAdmission – FREE
Admission to the Festival is free. However, you must purchase a Festival glass and drink tickets if you wish to drink the beer or wine that is poured “on the street” or in the Premium Wine Pavilion.
Dogs are allowed, but please consider this: Dogs must be kept on a leash and in your control at all times; If you attend early in the day, between 10am-1pm, the pavement is cooler, the temperature is lower and there is ample room for your dog; as the event progresses, it does get very crowded and can become dangerous for your pet; and dogs should not go into the food court.
Featuring
- More than 275 fine arts and crafts booths.
- Restaurants, food vendors, wineries and microbreweries.
- Continuous musical entertainment presented on three stages.
- Kids area with entertainment and activities for kids of all ages.
- Special exhibit and sale of work by local artists.
The entertainment schedule is here.
Wine and food vendor info is here.
Lafayette is considering building a roundabout on Mt. Diablo Blvd near the Gazebo and some people are not happy about this possibility. There are even protesters out with signs warning about traffic and loss of parking spots. Check out the official roundabout project page here, including the staff report here.
The Lafayette staff believe that a roundabout will allow traffic to slow down but continue to flow freely, make it safer for pedestrians to cross, and will contribute positively to streetscape design, displaying including public art.
Check out an aerial view of the roundabout:
And the proposed location of the roundabout:
I have experience crossing here because I go to Lamorinda Crossfit at the end of Blackwood Lane and we sometimes cross over to run on the Lamorinda trail on the other side near the gazebo. Frankly it hasn’t been that crowded to wait more than 30 seconds before crossing, and usually we can cross immediately. Also, when I think of roundabouts I think of busy streets on multiple sides so I can’t quite understand why a roundabout here would be all that useful considering the other intersecting streets are rarely used. The fact that the lanes will merge into one on both sides of Mt. Diablo Blvd. could certainly be annoying to people driving. On the other hand, it would be more convenient for pedestrians to cross the street, and might look pretty cool.
So for the Friday question of the day, do you think the proposed Lafayette roundabout on Mt. Diablo Blvd. is a good idea?
Behold the new floating islands made out of recycled plastic at the Heather Farm Park pond in Walnut Creek. (The second one is just visible behind the water fountain). They acually do move around quite a bit as they are not anchored.
From the City of Walnut Creek website:
The floating islands are made of out recycled plastic (certified non-toxic) drinking bottles. The islands will create a habitat for wildlife and fish and help pull pollutants from the water, while providing a more natural look to the cement pond. The BioHaven Floating Islands have been used successfully by agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers to build habitat for endangered or threatened species.
Check out a close-up of one of the islands. I imagine over time the plants will grow to make things a bit more interesting:
Here’s a visual description of what’s going on:
I noticed these protesters in downtown Walnut Creek right near Starbucks on N. Main St. and Duncan St many times, and recently saw them in front of Barnes & Noble across the street from Neiman Marcus. Does anyone know what group they represent? What I found odd about this time was that a couple of middle school kids (at least that’s how old they looked to me) next to the booth (outside the frame) were holding up signs and discussing issues with people.
For some reason there is no way I could even begin to talk with these kids about political issues simply because they are kids. I wouldn’t be able to take them seriously, and furthermore would think they would just be parroting what their parents think anyway. Has anyone seen this group in downtown Walnut Creek? What’s the deal with the kids?
photo by Flickr user Rosa Say
From the Lamorinda Bus Transportation Program:
We anticipate heavy traffic on Hwy 24 this afternoon due to the current highway closure on 680. School bus drivers have been directed to leave the First Student corp. yard in Martinez 30 to 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Orinda drivers may take an alternate route and access Orinda via San Pablo Dam Rd. This will hopefully result in on time arrival to schools for the afternoon pick up. However, please be advised that buses may still be late.
Looks like the folks at Herald’s Fine Cleaners on Cypress St. in downtown Walnut Creek have a fine sense of humor. 🙂
Last December this vending machine surrounded by exotic vases in Broadway Plaza next to Macy’s was the Vending Machine of the week. Now look what it has turned into. A giant Diet Coke ad. Part of the charm of Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek is the lack of blatant advertising. Even then it’s usually related to stores within Broadway Plaza itself which is fine. This is just crass. Bring back the vases Broadway Plaza, bring back the vases!
I’m hoping Coke ads plastered around the old Le Virage restaurant is not coming next.
The deadline for the Walnut Creek City Council nomination period has been extended to August 15th since Council member Gary Skrel is not seeking reelection. From the City of Walnut Creek home page:
Persons interested in running for the Walnut Creek City Council may pull nomination papers and receive all other necessary forms and information from the City Clerk’s Office. To make an appointment, call City Clerk Suzie Martinez at 925-943-5819. Three seats are up for election. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States, and a resident and registered voter of the City of Walnut Creek.
From the Walnut Creek City Council page:
There are five City Council members. They are elected at large for 4-year, staggered terms; elections are held in November of each even-numbered year. To learn more about individual Council members, click here. Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 1666 North Main Street. For an agenda of the next meeting, click here. All Council meetings are televised live over Comcast Channels 28 and Channel 26 (Rossmoor), on Astound Channel 29, and on AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. The meeting broadcast is repeated in its entirety the following Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Comcast Channels 28 and 26 and on Astound Channel 29.
Photo from Flickr user oxcnpxo
Have you ever noticed a rotten egg-like sulphur smell in the San Miguel neighborhood of Walnut Creek, which includes John Muir hospital as well as Lime Ridge? It turns out that smell existed long before people even lived there due to sulphur springs and minerals in the area. KQED has an interesting article here explaining the details. This quote comes from a 1915 US Geological Survey:
“A group of sulphur springs lies near the northeastern base of a low ridge about 2 miles northeast of the town of Walnut Creek. The largest spring is on the ridge about 100 yards from its eastern base and 25 yards north of the county road [Ygnacio Valley Road]. When the place was visited, the water rose in a board-curbed pool protected by a latticed house and was piped to a cattle trough a few yards away. It yielded about 3 gallons a minute of mildly sulphureted water, 81° in temperature. . . . Five other smaller springs issue in a belt extending 350 yards along the base of the ridge, in and near the barnyard of Sulphur Springs farm. Two of them have been piped to watering troughs near by. The other three are of seeping flow and form only small marshy places.”