The doorway to the Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton above San José, California. Lick Observatory was the world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. The 36-inch (91 cm) refracting telescope on Mount Hamilton was Earth's largest refracting telescope during the period from when it saw first light on January 3, 1888, until the construction of Yerkes in 1897. In May 1888, the observatory was turned over to the Regents of the University of California, and it became the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory in the world.
The dome housing the original 36" telescope is to the right.
Just to the north of the original 36" telescope is this dome housing a 120" telescope and a smaller dome housing a specialized electronic telescope.
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«Louis» found this interesting mural in front of a home in the 1100 block of Euclid in Berkeley. The woman who commissioned it did so in hopes that others on the block would follow suit. Alas, none of the neighbors did, leaving this three-panel mural to be the focal point of the block.
Downtown San José viewed from Mount Hamilton. Mount Hamilton is a mountain in California's Diablo Range, in Santa Clara County, California. Mount Hamilton, at 4,196-foot (1,279 m) is the tallest mountain overlooking Silicon Valley, and is the site of Lick Observatory, the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. The various summits along its mile-long summit ridge have been given astronomy-related names. The highest is Copernicus Peak at 4,367-foot (1,331 m) 4,250-foot (1,295 m) Kepler Peak and 4,213-foot (1,284 m) Observatory Peak follow. The latter was more than 30 feet (9.1 m) taller before it was leveled during the construction of the observatory in the 1880s. The asteroid 452 Hamiltonia, discovered in 1899, is named after the mountain. Golden Eagle nesting sites are found on the slopes of Mount Hamilton.
This is the other part of a fine mural on the wall of Toot Sweets Bakery at Gilman and Santa Fe, Berkeley. It depicts a part of the Bay near the Maze feeding onto the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. «Louis» showed you the first part last Monday.
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,
2 both low and high,
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5 Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
9 so that they should live on forever
and not see decay.
10 For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses[b] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had[c] named lands after themselves.
12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[d]
14 They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.
20 People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.
An example of why San Francisco is often called "Fog City." The Mount Sutro TV transmission antennæ have pierced the fog, other than that, the entire city is socked in! (Photo taken in September 2010 from le balcon Chez la Vache.)
Crixa Cakes is a Czech bakery located at 2748 Adeline in Berkeley. It is one of «Louis'» favorite local bakeries. With their Czech connection, they offer things you wouldn't find in a French-style boulangerie. Crixa gets their coffee from the same roaster that «Louis» uses for his own coffee business, so he can tell you that the coffee served at Crixa is excellent. Crixa also serves tea from the Canadian Metropolitan Tea Company, again, the same vendor «Louis» uses, so he can attest to the quality of the tea Crixa serves.
Crixa uses Giusto's Organic Flour. Guisto is a local, family-owned mill that was one of the pioneers in the organic movement. When «Louis» bakes at home, he uses Giusto flour.
One of «Louis'» favorite things at Crixa is their amazing Ginger cake accompanied by a pot of Metropolitan's Queen Mary tea. It is a combination made in heaven!