Grills

It is that time of year -- time for grilling!  Check out our earlier posts about BBQ grills.  I think these have been the most popular posts on our site so far.  One thing we tried to do was include pictures of various grills for side-by-side comparison.  I'm not sure why grill sales sites don't do that.

*  Starting the process:  gas vs. charcoal & grilling basics

*  Shopping for grills

*  The biggest of the Weber grills

*  Our grill recommendation: the Weber Genesis EP-330.

We've been enjoying our second year with our EP-330.  Still absolutely love it!

We bought ours at the Ace Hardware on Grand Avenue in Oakland, which was able to give us same-day delivery and help set it up.  But here's a link if you want to check out or buy the grill online.

Weber Genesis EP-330


We highly recommend getting a grill cover to protect this key outdoor cooking asset:

Getting Kitchen Remodel Bids

Kitchen remodeling is much more stressful than it first appears.  I am struggling with the fact that I have spent weeks talking to a kitchen remodeling company, having them talk about and design a dream kitchen, then getting the sticker shock of a 180,000 price tag.  It just doesn't make sense since our first quote was 100,000, 2nd quote was 150,00, 3rd quote was 180,000, then when we said 180,000 was over our budget, they went down to 139,000 and  took away much of the fun stuff we talked about and wanted (including removing extra wall covering which is very important to us.) 

The question is, "Is it worth it?"

While we were up in Lake Tahoe recently, doing some spring skiing, we actually started to wonder whether we should put a down payment on a cabin instead... 

Feel like I really need to see "The Money Pit" after getting such a crazy high quote for a kitchen remodel; starting to feel like I can relate.

--Bungalow Mama

History of Rockridge

Oakland North posted a great "Rockridge Then and Now" series of pictures.  Check it out here:

http://oaklandnorth.net/2012/05/15/rockridge-then-and-now/

The materials for the recent Rockridge history series came from the archives at the Oakland Library History Room, which is well worth a visit.

 

History of Rockridge

The Oakland History Room is an amazing resource, filled with primary source materials about (you guessed it) the history of Oakland.

Check out this image, available from the Oakland History Room's online database:

This shows a view looking up College Avenue towards Shafter circa 1930.

The History of Rockridge

Here's a link to the next article in the series about the history of Rockridge, from Oakland North:

http://oaklandnorth.net/2012/05/15/hills-covered-in-beautiful-homes/

The History of Rockridge

Rockridge rocks.

Check out this first in what I hope will be a series of articles about the history of Rockridge.  It comes from Oakland North, which is a news project at UC Berkeley's School of Journalism.  

http://oaklandnorth.net/2012/05/15/the-livermores-rockridges-founding-family/

Go Bears!  This is awesome.

Japanese Art

"Unrivaled Splendor: The Kimiko and John Powers Collection of Japanese Art," at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, highlights Japanese antiques collection of the couple. Their collection started in the 1960's, and they have over 85 examples on display. The collection is on display from June 17th to September 23rd.

Resources:
 Museum of Fine Arts (Houston)
 June 17th-September 23rd
Mfah.org

Rockridge Jazz & Wine Stroll Coming Soon!

On May 11, the beautiful Rockridge neighborhood, home to many a bungalow and Craftsman home (in Oakland, California along College Avenue about a mile or two south of the UC Berkeley campus) will play host to its Jazz and Wine Stroll.  Starting around 4:30pm, Rockridge neighborhood restaurants and shops will have live jazz, serve wine, and have a great time.

For example, Diesel Bookstore will host the Fineberg-Seeling Quintet.   

Market Hall will serve street fare.    

A great time for couples!  And families!