adopt a shelter animal

One of the Oakland-related features on Our Oakland is a widget from Petfinder.com, showing adoptable pets at various Oakland animal shelters. (It's in the left column near the bottom.)

To help call attention to the huge number of adoptable cats, dogs, birds and even rabbits, pigs and other animals out there, today is Adopt the Internet Day. So if you're considering a pet, get a shelter animal, and save a life.

food: Commonwealth Cafe and Pub

Commonwealth Cafe and Pub

Last week while playing hooky taking a well-deserved break from work, I headed down to Pill Hill on my bike to check out Commonwealth Cafe and Pub. I didn't have a plan initially, but then I saw a tweet: CmonOakland Veg & Lager Stew made w/ @LindenStBrew Burning Oak Black is on! so I headed on down.

Like many East Bay cafes, there were a fair number of people there to work on their computers while nursing a coffee drink. But it's not just a coffee-and-pastries place. They also serve beer and wine and have decent-sized food menus for lunch, brunch and evening. Not surprisingly with the name "commonwealth", the food, beer and decor have a decidedly British flavor, with football (soccer) showing on the telly. There was a whole different crowd there to watch football and down a pint or two.

veg and lager stew

I was there for a late lunch, so I ordered a Fuller's porter and the aforementioned veg and lager stew, and thoroughly enjoyed both. (Fuller's is perhaps best known for their ESB, which to me is the defining beer of all ESBs.) It was nicely spiced, and came with a mini Yorkshire pudding. Their regular menu tends towards UK foods as well: Scotch eggs, fish and chips, ploughman's platter, shepherd's pie, bubble and squeak. Fortunately, it's decidedly much tastier than the actual English pub food I've had (insert your own joke about English cooking here), though I have to admit it's been a few years since I was there.

Over at City Homestead, they're big fans of the scones (served with whipped Devonshire cream & jam) and the shepherd's pie (which seems to have migrated from the specials menu to a regular item since they reviewed it.) And they're delighted to have a coffee shop 6 blocks from their house.

If the football on the telly, good food and beer weren't enough for me to like the place, they also feature local beers (e.g., Linden Street, Drake's, 21st Amendment) and wines (e.g., Urban Legend and Periscope Cellars). There's also ample bike parking outside which was in heavy use for bikes and dogs when I was there.

But wait, there's more! It's also currently featuring a great Oakland photo exhibit by Valerie Cochran called last. oakland. Sadly, this will be her last photo exhibit here, as she's moving back to Missouri. So check out the photo exhibit before it ends in May.

you are not my person.
however, you may pet me

photo journey 2: mellow yellow

Yesterday's photo journey is brought to you by the color yellow. It's some of the yellow things I saw on my way home from the Red Cross after donating platelets (which are a yellowish color, too). I saw a yellow car, but there wasn't a safe place to stop to photograph it. And I wasn't brave enough to ask the woman wearing bright yellow if I could photograph her pants :-)

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.