Is it still only February?

We took an early spring break and spent a week in Oakland, CA visiting our son. He is an amazing host and kept us wined, dined, and entertained in style the whole time we were there.

And what a great city! Overshadowed by its big sister across the Bay, Oakland usually only gets attention for its riots, on and off the football field. They actually do a lot of things right.

There are neighborhoods wonderfully walkable and alive with a great variety of small independent cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and shops, driven by the Oakland Grown localization movement. Fresh food is grown in back yards and community gardens and offered for sale through CSA's, farmers markets, and local grocers.

There is public transportation and there are bike lanes--unfortunately, there are still too many roads and cars and people. You can't blame people for wanting to live in such a naturally gorgeous place with a mild climate and beautiful architecture. But the crowding makes living expensive. The climate makes the streets a haven for the homeless.

By the way, do you think these cranes gave George Lucas any ideas?



We had a great vacation, but we're glad to be back home. Even though it's cold here and it will be months before we can dig in the garden.

Meanwhile, good things are happening here. We're very satisfied with our first order from the buying club, Furniture City Foods, and encourage everyone to join (free) and check it out. There are no minimum requirements for personal ordering, and you may find yourself as delighted as we are with the variety of healthy, high quality, and regionally produced foods available.

"The Power of Community," will be screened on Wednesday, February 29th, at 7 pm at the UU church on Prendergast. Turning to localization out of necessity when they were cut off from the Soviet Union in the 1990's, the people of Cuba have managed to turn their country into the only sustainable one in the entire world. There are some wonderful lessons here and I'm looking forward to the discussion. This is offered free and open to the public.

Finally, I've gathered some info and posted a Local Banking page here as a resource for people who want to move towards greater freedom from corporate rule over their lives. Bon voyage!