Surreal Berkeley Home

On a recent stroll through the hills east of Berkeley I came upon this house I had seen many times before but never really seen, you know? At first glance it looks like a perfectly reasonable home there’s something about the degree to which the landscaping in the foreground engulfs the home and the juxtaposition of this with the palm tree in the background that I really find fascinating. It looks like the kind of house that would be the setting for some sort of fantasy novel where a normal kid ends up going on some sort of magical adventure.

Berkeley Cottage

Berkeley Rose Gardens

While not the most attractive rose garden in the world, there is something attractive about Berkeley Rose Garden’s terraces, which office a nice backdrop for the attached tennis courts and are good for a nice relaxing afternoon on a sunny day if you want to get out of downtown, but not necessarily out of Berkeley. Being situated up in the hills it is surprisingly quiet and I was able to get surprisingly unobstructed views of the rows of plants.

Rose Garden

Hearst Mining Building

One of my favorite places on campus (or it used to be before the flurry of construction activity around it) is the Hearst Mining Circle, just opposite the chemistry quad on U. C. Berkeley’s campus. In particular the reflecting pool and lawn in front the historic (and fascinating — there used to be a tunnel to the Hayward fault from there) Hearst Mining Building make a great combination, especially on a sunny day such as the day this shot was taken.

Hearst Mining Building