172 E. Prospect Ave, Danville
Earlier this month we learned that the Amalfi Coast pizzeria Locanda Ravello would be opening in Danville on Prospect Ave. and they opened last week. Check out their menu here. Find out more about the owner here. Note the beautiful photo of the inside on that page. 🙂
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek
Earlier this week we learned about most of the stores that will be going into Broadway Plaza in their initial phase one plan in downtown Walnut Creek. Plenty of active/street wear shops. Kiehl’s, Lush and NYX Cosmetics are new cosmetics shops debuting as well. Are you happy with this selection? Considering there are five spots that have yet to be announced, what would you like to see? Keep in mind this is only for the initial phase. More stores have been confirmed for future phases in other areas of Broadway Plaza, such as Gap and possibly Restoration Hardware as well as restaurants True Food Kitchen and Boca Pizzeria.
Jazz Guitarists Martin Taylor and Bucky Pizzarelli:
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek
Saturday, August 29th, 2015
5:00pm & 8:00pm | $40The crème de la crème of jazz guitar duos! Widely considered to be the world’s top “fingerstyle” artist, Martin Taylor’s tasteful, swinging style combines virtuosity and wit. He has amassed a record 14 British Jazz Awards and his collaborators include Jeff Beck, Chet Atkins, Stephane Grappelli and George Harrison. A true living legend, Bucky Pizzarelli’s credits include Benny Goodman, The Tonight Show Band, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Les Paul and Paul McCartney.
Encina Grande, Walnut Creek
Thanks to a reader who wrote in that the Safeway that is closing in Encina Grande on Ygancio Valley Rd. in Walnut Creek, “this morning at 6:30 am store was packed, lines extended the entire length of the store”. I dropped by later in the afternoon and it was 85% empty. Looks like they’ll be closing sooner rather than later judging by how little stuff is left.
Thanks to a reader for sending in this photo of a blue Chevrolet Apache truck spotted in San Ramon. This looks like the 1950’s to me. Anyone know what year?
Cal Shakes Theater
100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda
Wednesday, August 12th, 2015 – Sunday, September 6th, 2015Cal Shakes’ outgoing artistic director Jonathan Moscone has chosen Charles Ludlam’s uproarious 1984 comedy for his final bow at the Bruns. In an unparalleled theatrical feat, Cal Shakes favorites Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent will make 35 costume changes to play eight different characters, ranging from a nobleman to an Egyptian princess. Taking place at a sinister estate near Hampstead Heath, where Lord Edgar and his nervous new wife Enid find themselves haunted by werewolves, ghosts, a vampire, and Edgar’s mysterious ex-wife, Irma Vep is a hilarious send up of a medley of different styles and sources, specifically, Hitchcock’s thriller, Rebecca, Brontë’s dark romance, Wuthering Heights, and NoĂ«l Coward’s otherwordly comedy Blithe Spirit.
A pioneering work in gay, and drag theater, this production will be a gender- (and genre)-bending tour-de-force.
Over the past year I have been posting about the new stores coming to phase one of the Broadway Plaza redevelopment in downtown Walnut Creek. A source has helpfully put together a summary and map of the stores that are coming:
Staged Reading of Latent Image:
Town Hall Theatre Company
3535 School St, Lafayette
Sunday, August 30th, 2015
2:00pm | Free (suggested $10-$15)Town Hall Theatre presents a staged reading of
Latent Image
a new play by David Wilcox
directed by Michael French
a fundraiser for Town Hall EducationReflecting the culture wars of our time with humor and irony, Latent Image exposes the absurdities of language that inhibit communication between warring factions.
Having lost his parents and his wife, Tommy Tremaine feels abandonded and longs for reconnection with his twin sister Dinah after years of estrangement. In trying to maneuver through the emotional baggage that bedevils them, Tommy discovers to his horror that while he was able to cast off the religion of this youth, it’s not so easy to shed the shame that the religion had fostered in him.
The other day I went on a tarantula trek in Mt. Diablo State Park and in addition to seeing tarantulas and scorpions, we also learned about poison oak. I’ve heard a lot about poison oak but never definitively encountered any until our guide helpfully pointed it out. Take a good look at the above photo. That is definitely poison oak.
According to Wikipedia:
The leaves are divided into three (rarely 5, 7, or 9) leaflets, 3.5 to 10 centimeters (1.4 to 3.9 in) long, with scalloped, toothed, or lobed edges. They generally resemble the lobed leaves of a true oak, though tend to be more glossy. Leaves are typically bronze when first unfolding in February to March, bright green in the spring, yellow-green to reddish in the summer, and bright red or pink from late July to October.
Unlike tarantulas, which are harmless to humans, poison oak, “causes itching; then evolves into dermatitis with inflammation, colorless bumps, severe itching, and blistering”. So stay away from poison oak, and remember these photos to remind you what to look out for.
