Greeneroo

Filoli Gardens has an extensive volunteer program and they offer great training too. There are amazing perks, which include getting to know one of the most beautiful homes and areas in California, watching the garden change over the year (it is different every time I go with something new blooming), participate in special events, attend special events just for volunteers, and meet great people with a passion for gardens and gardening.

If you have pulled you last weed but would like to be around a exquisite garden, if you wish you could pull some weeds but don’t have a garden  or are tired of talking to your plants, come join us. With 1200 volunteers and dozens of groups, we have something for everyone. We have a great time!!
Become a FiloliVolunteer today!  Contact Filoli Volunteers today!

Phone (650) 364-8300,  extension 300
Fax (650) 367-0724
Email volunteer@filoli.org

Related posts about Filoli: Wine and Roses, Volunteer Open House, Celebrating Films and Flowers, Spring Fling Arrives. These are great, but going there is better.

Location: Allied Arts Guild
Event Dates: 8/2/2010 – 8/31/2010

Portola Art Gallery Presents Frances Freyberg’s “Flowers, Fields and Forests – Photographs from the Bay Area and Beyond”

• EXHIBITION: “Flowers, Fields and Forests – Photographs from the Bay Area and Beyond,” by Frances Freyberg
• DATES: August 2-31, 2010
• LOCATION: Portola Art Gallery at Allied Arts Guild, 75 Arbor Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, 650.321.0220, www.portolaartgallery.com
• HOURS: Monday – Saturday, 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
• FOR MORE INFORMATION: Frances Freyberg; (650)273-3505; frances.freyberg@gmail.com ; www.francesfreyberg.com

The Portola Art Gallery presents “Flowers, Fields and Forests – Photographs from the Bay Area and Beyond,” a collection of images by photographer Frances Freyberg of Menlo Park.

While Freyberg is best known for her travel photography, this exhibit will highlight many local landscapes, from the trails of Purisima Creek Redwoods to the rolling hills of Arastradero. Flowers from Filoli, Allied Arts and private gardens throughout the Bay Area will also be displayed.

“Of the many places I’ve visited, California remains one of my very favorite to photograph,” said Freyberg. “We have such a beautiful and diverse landscape, from the alpine meadows of the High Sierras to the poppy-laden coastline of Point Reyes.”

Freyberg specializes in vibrant color portraits of people, wildlife, nature and architecture from her travels to more than 50 countries. Her award-winning photographs can be found in galleries and private collections worldwide, as well as online at www.francesfreyberg.com.

About Portola Art Gallery
Portola Art Gallery exhibits high quality, representational art by fifteen Bay Area artists. Painting, pastel and photography can be viewed at the gallery, located at the Historic Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park, CA.

Photos: High-resolution scans (JPEGs) of the artists’ work are available. For more information, please contact Frances Freyberg at 650.273.3505 orfrances.freyberg@gmail.com.

Many of the green initiatives are focused on owners rather than renters. Buying solar panels can make sense to add to your home, and energy star appliances ARE a great idea, but places come with refrigerators, water heaters, windows, washer/dryers etc when you rent. And in alot of apartments there isn’t much incentive to take the time and money to make these big green efficiency improvements. Landlords might get a little cranky if you start remodeling and replacing things, (sure!) but there is alot you can do.

You can ask! Yes, ask for a clothesline, or double paned windows or having broken single paned windows replaced with double paned. Maybe a patch of unused land can be converted to tomatoes and basil. Containers on the roof? Saving rain water in barrels? Who knows?  Go ahead and ask, be your own best advocate. And many rental agencies are responding. Green, saves them money too.
You may not have your own plot of land, but investigate to see if there are community gardens near you, or you can go to a you-pick garden, or try container gardening. There are option, be curious, explore.
In Palo Alto, here is what they do:

The Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC) has taken on that responsibility. The largest low-income housing organization in Palo Alto, PAHC has implemented many green practices and components throughout their complexes.

Georgina Mascarenhas, PAHC director of property management, said that most units have weatherstripping on doors and windows to save on heating and cooling costs, low-flow toilets to decrease water bills and drought-resistant landscaping. All laundry machines are EnergyStar-rated. PAHC is also looking into solar power and Mascarenhas said that the Alma Street location is ideal for harnessing energy from the sun’s rays.

PAHC also signed a new contract with Quick Light Recycling from Brisbane, which conducted recycling presentations, provided larger communal recycle bins and gave personal recycle bins to residents.

“I think (residents) do want to be green.” Mascarenhas said. “For the most part, it is all about education.”

Mascarenhas said the main green thing PAHC residents can do right now is recycle. She also said that PAHC provides a written conservation plan with suggestions on energy-saving methods, such as setting the thermostat to automatic mode.

“Nobody wanted to take time to sort through the recycling before,” she said. “But, now that it is more convenient, more residents are doing it.”

To save a lot of water and receive an easy reminder to water your plants, put a plastic pitcher in your shower to catch the cold water while you wait for the warm water. This is especially great for seedlings which need a gentle water flow to start out or house plants. Next time you jump into the shower, if the pitcher is full, you can water the plants right then.

If it takes “forever” for the water to get HOT for your shower, consider a tank-less water heater, which is typically located close to bathrooms and delivers hot water quicker. Also make sure to check on any TAX CREDITS that may be possible on installing a energy-efficient water heater (rebates can be substantial, up to $1500).  Find details at energystar.gov.

If you are looking for the varieties that you found in Grandma’s garden, take a trip to the Petaluma Seed Bank. They are a retail outlet for Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and company from the Ozarks. All the seeds carried at the Seed Bank are heirloom, some have been handed down by families.
You’ll know they are NOT Genetically Modified Organisms – GMOs-  in disguise!   There is a huge variety of more than a thousand vegetables and flower seeds too.
Call them at 707-509-5171 or go to their site, at rareseeds.com

TODAY — FREE!!

This film is a fascinating documentary covering two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. ‘”What’s On Your Plate” is exactly the film we need now.’ – Michael Pollan

Directed by Catherine Gund; 73 min; 2009.      The showing of this community building film is sponsored by Chipotle.

Date:  7/30/2010   Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Where:

Fair Oaks Library
2510 Middlefield Rd
Redwood City, CA 94063

For more great events, movies, music, art, check out the Redwood City Event Calendar: 

 http://www.ci.redwood-city.ca.us/calendar/calendar.aspx

Watch out for your dangling jewelry and leave that tiny dog at home!

Come out to see a huge collection of carnivorous plants!

Oh no! They’re back, and they’re more frightfully fun than ever! This summer, the Conservatory of Flowers becomes a Little Shop of Horticultural Horrors with “Chomp 2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants.” Immerse yourself in a swampy paradise for meat-eating plants like the statuesque white trumpets of the American Southeast, the sinister pitcher plants of Borneo and the glistening sundews of South Africa. The extraordinary beauty and diversity of species on display will dazzle even the most squeamish.

“Chomp 2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants” features expanded displays of these natural born killers with dazzling, new additions like the Dionaea B-52, the world’s largest Venus flytrap with traps up to two inches square, and the aptly named (for a bug, that is) ‘Abandoned Hope,’ a pitcher plant hybrid that can grow up to two feet tall. Visitors can feast their eyes on hundreds of multi-colored, meat-eating plants arranged in swampy, living bogs that showcase species both by their trapping strategies and by their native regions and countries.

Website: http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/

Location:    100 John F. Kennedy Drive;  San Francisco, CA 94118
415 -831 -2090

Paxton Gate Online!

Bringing the Conservatory of Flowers’ Fly Trap Theater out of Golden Gate Park and into the Mission!

The Fly Trap Theater is a fun presentation by the Conservatory of Flowers’ own knowledgeable and friendly tour guides! Learn why and how carnivorous plants are different from other plants, what areas in the world produce plants that eat bugs, why these plants hunt, and how they attack! Carnivorous plants will be dissected, their trapping mechanisms looked at up close and personally, in order to learn about the different adaptations these creatures use to lure tasty bug dinners into their plant jaws! After uncovering the mysteries of the carnivorous plants in the Fly Trap Theater, we’ll create our own bug and plant puppets replicating traps seen in nature that use gummy slime, sticky stalks, hairy triggers, and dark mazes – or use our imaginations to create totally new carnivorous creatures! – to perform our own CHOMP scenes time and again!

 WHEN: July  24, 2010

TIME: 2-4 pm (BUZZ by throughout!)   

WHERE: Curiosities for Kids at 766 Valencia, San Francisco, in between 18^th and 19^th Streets in San Francisco’s Mission District.

COST: FREE!

Please note: During the course of the Chomp! 2 exhibition, Paxton Gate is offering 15% off plants and gardening supplies at both of their stores with a ticket stub from the Conservatory of Flowers.  Also, The Conservatory is offering 2 for 1 entry if you show your Paxton Gate receipt dated during the run of the exhibit! (May 7 – October 31, 2010).

Calafia is a GREAT local place, located in the Town and Country Shopping Center, near Trader Joes. Don’t think for one single second this is a “mall restaurant” or fast food…. YOU ARE IN FOR A TREAT. Calafia has healthy, tasty, innovative food with ambiance.

The menu includes the best ingredients and products around. Every effort is made to provide the freshest, tastiest food, Chef Charlie Ayers is committed to this.

I have had several meals at Calafia, they really make every effort to tell you how things are prepared and encourage questions. Of course, you can’t eat everything …. but each choice will be a good one. If it isn’t right, they want to know — so customer service is a big part of this restaurant.

Last time, I had the best Ahi Tuna I have ever eaten, tender, delicate flavor, light citrus sauce, fresh corn niblets, beautiful presentation. Many flavors in each bite, it was food to savor. I also wanted to try the pork (I don’t normally eat pork, but it is so popular, I need to find out for myself  since several pork dinners went past while I was eating.)

Next time, I’ll try:

Fiery Bottom BBQ Pork Bowl (GF) (DF)

Shredded pork shoulder, spicy BBQ sauce, sautéed spinach, yam sunnyside up quail egg, green onion, brown rice or quinoa pilaf: 12 

BEST OF PALO ALTO

the competition is stiff and Calafia really deserves this honor. Submit your ballot by July 11, 2010.

Location: El Camino / Embarcadero Rd, in Town and Country Shopping Center
855 El Camino Real # 130
Palo Alto, CA 94301-2335
(650) 322-9200

Cafe Hours:
On Weekdays: Lunch 11 am 4:30 pm M-F  |  Dinner 4:30 pm 9:00 pm M-F

On Weekends: Brunch 9:00 am 3:00 pm |  Dinner 3:00 pm 9:00 pm

Summer hours: Dinner extended to 9:30 pm fri & sat

Market Hours:
9 am – 8:30 pm 7 days a week

Filoli has so many events. The Twilight walks for members are wonderful and very relaxing. There is Spring Fling and events throughout the year…

COMING UP……

Saturday, July 24, 5:00 pm–8:00 pm
Tickets on Sale Now  You can also buy raffles tickets for great prizes.

The Roses are Blooming Now, the garden is filled with fragrance and color.

Contact Information:  There are garden tours and classes too!

Filoli Center
86 Cañada Road
Woodside, California 94062
www.filoli.org
Phone: (650) 364-8300
Fax: (650) 366-7836
Email: friends@filoli.org

Visitor Services

Phone: (650) 364-8300 extension 507
Fax: (650) 367-0724
Email: tours@filoli.org

Oakland Zoo is a gem! I had not been for years and it is a startling discovery to see what I have been missing. First, I stayed overnight, that was awesome, just like an kid’s sleep-over! They have dozens of ways to learn more about the animals, the Zoo puts on special events that are fantastic and the people that work at the Zoo are dedicated, insightful and thrilled to be there.
Walk in the Wild is a benefit for the Zoo, I attended on Saturday June 26. As soon as I arrived (it was an easy drive from the Peninsula) I heard the buzz of happy people and wonderful music. I was greeted like I was a Rock Star (no, I’m not) and really felt so happy to be there. I wasn’t the only one, so many people were coming for their first time, and loved this event too.

The animals seemed to sense the fun and were out in fine form. The tigers were prowling the sun bears were sun bathing and smiling, and calls from birds, hyenas, chimps were filling the air.

So many local vendors were there, here is a small list:

• Miragia – cateringandmore.com
• Speak Easy Ales
• Red Boy Pizza
• Spengers
• Fentons
• Steven Kent Winery
• New Belgium
• Sierra Nevada Brewing
• Triple Rock
• Pacific Coast Brewing Company
• Williams Brewing
• Concannon Vineyard
• Not to be outdone, the team that prepares food at the Zoo was there serving up KNOCK OUT veggie Chili. Wow!

More than 90 restaurants, caterers, bakeries, wineries and breweries.  This adult-only event supports the Oakland Zoo’s conservation, education, and animal enrichment programs.

Plan a visit to the zoo, here is general information.

The next great event is the Grand Opening Of Wild Australia Exhibit.  Opening Saturday July 3.

For this summer, I’m too old for ZOO CAMP, but it sure looks fun. Ages 4 to high school.

Keeping up with all the ZOO FUN, here is their CALENDAR.

Contact Information for the Oakland Zoo:

9777 Golf Links Road
Oakland, CA.94605
Phone: (510) 632-9525 x181
Fax: (510) 635-5719