Today on weekend meanderings, a visit to Berkeley’s beautiful rose garden, Hood Canal Candle’s Company’s new Spa Collection, and a tech CEO’s $10 million dollar home renovation.
Happy weekend friends! It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth, our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.
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How was your week? Mine was a little up and a little down. It started off great with a visit to a hot new breakfast spot and a local rose garden, I watched the Brats documentary (meh), Hit Man movie (cute), and kept up with the Stanley Cup final (Last night was unbelievable …. onward to Game 7! Let’s Go Oilers!). Niece Shelby came over for fajitas, pie and ice cream, and I posted my packing edit from Italy, and then things took a turn. Thursday I woke up with a migraine. It’s been a while since I’ve had that pleasure and I’ll spare you the details, but it was a miserable day. Yesterday I felt better but still a little woozy with that post-migraine hangover feeling. But I felt good enough to follow through with our dinner plans last night. Enough about me.
What I Packed and Wore in Puglia
Everything I packed and wore in Puglia hit the blog this week.
One of my favorite last minute purchases for the trip is this scoop neck midi-dress from Quince. I bought it in Navy, size small.
Quince European Linen Scoop Neck Midi
It’s such an easy piece to wear and has a classic silhouette and I know it’s going to get a lot of use this summer. Two of my favorite things about it, the shoulder straps are adjustable so I didn’t have to take it to alterations, and it has pockets. I’m a huge fan of pockets in a dress. And I love that I can pair it with a cardigan, wrap, jacket or blazer.
I was bad at getting photos of my outfits while on the trip so I did a little fashion show in our living room and posted it to Instagram.
A reader asked if I’d specify my height, weight, sizes, etc. So here goes, I’m 5’4-1/4″ and my weight fluctuates between 112 and 122. Right now I’m about 120. I wear anything from 0 – 6 depending on the brand. In a small/medium/large situation I’m generally an XS or Small. Again, brands are all over the place with their sizing, but this is generally my range. I’ll try to remember to clarify the sizes I’m wearing more often. And, you can read my Italy packing edit here.
Local News – The Breakfast Club in Lafayette is (Finally) Open
On Monday I met my BFF Jane to try out The Breakfast Club, a new breakfast, brunch and lunch spot in Lafayette. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and were so absorbed in conversation we forgot to take photos. I really wish I’d snapped shots of our plates … the presentation was lovely and we appreciated the extra touches like pretty, edible flower garnishes that made us smile.
This is the third Bay Area Breakfast Club location. The others are in San Jose and Walnut Creek. I believe more are coming. The Lafayette location is on Mt. Diablo Boulevard in the old Paxti location. It’s beautifully done inside and they have patio seating in front and on the charming side alley. The menu is very good and extensive … all the usual breakfast suspects plus some fun twists. A couple of important (to me) notes, the menu includes linguisa (yay) and they offer hash browns AND breakfast potatoes (I’m partial to hash browns). I can’t wait to try out their lunch menu. Did I mention they have a full bar? Not that we were drinking, it was Monday morning … we’re not savages. Oh, and their servers were friendly, fun and attentive. They’re open seven days a week from 7:00am – 3:00pm and the entire menu (breakfast and lunch) is served all day. I have a feeling we’ll be frequent guests.
Berkeley Rose Garden
For years I’ve been hearing about the Berkeley Rose Garden. It’s only four miles away but I hadn’t been. This week I corrected that oversight and I’m so glad I did. The ideal time to visit the garden is probably mid-May, that said, there are many, many roses still blooming right now.
The rose garden is part of a city-owned park in North Berkeley constructed in the form of a terraced amphitheater. Part of a national public works project it got stated in 1933 and opened to the public in 1937. The garden is in the middle of a residential neighborhood (fabulous old homes and views) with four public tennis courts to one side of the garden, and Codornices Park across the street. Apparently a pedestrian tunnel connects the two but I didn’t explore beyond the garden.
The drive from my side of the (Caldecott) tunnel through Berkeley’s Claremont neighborhood and the UC Berkeley campus is just stunning and I wanted to stop and gawk at every single magnificent home and building along the way. The garden is on Euclid street and I took a little time to drive up and down the residential streets. Well worth the time as the homes are architecturally interesting with breathtaking views across the Bay to San Francisco (on a clear day).
The garden contains over 1500 rose bushes and 250 rose varieties, most of them labeled.
The leaves on this Foxi Pavement rose look of mint.
The Cordornices Creek runs through the garden.
And a beautiful 200 foot redwood pergola defines the upper tier.
The garden has a kind of wild and slightly unkempt feel which is very charming and I loved.
I’d love to know the story of this very old Phyllis Bide rose.
I visited the garden on a Wednesday morning. Street parking (free) was easy and available. Quite a few families were strolling the garden, as well as local mom’s entertaining young children. But the garden was by no means crowded. I noticed that many visitors brought lunch and after strolling through the rose beds they sat down for a picnic. Great idea. I’m adding this to my calendar for next year, mid-May, and bringing lunch! Hours are daily 6:00am to 10:00pm.
Hood Canal Candle Co. Spa Collection
It was a happy surprise to find a box from the Hood Canal Candle Co. on my doorstep this week. Their new six-fragrance Spa Collection just launched and Pamela sent me a Discovery Box (sample box of the full collection) that is available for purchase now! Sounds wonderful, right? Well, I can tell you it is.
The new six fragrances are Fabulous, Balance, Glow, Serene, Bliss and Refresh. I needed a pick me up while drafting today’s message and lit the Glow candle. Its pear and moonflower fragrance is heavenly and I’m sure the secret to my glowing post today. Ha!
Hood Canal Candles are soy wax and hand crafted by Pamela in the beautiful state of Washington. Check out her Etsy shop and be sure to grab a Discovery Box before the collection sells out. Not part of the Discovery Box, but a summertime favorite is the Limoncello candle. Be sure to follow Hood Canal on Instagram so you’re in the know for all new releases.
Contemporary Oasis Home Tour
Let me start off by saying this is not my home style. That said, I do try to appreciate other styles and points of view and when this home, which is just a hop skip and a jump from Snowberry, was featured on a local realtor’s TikTok open house tour, I was interested. When I googled it and read the press around the renovation (New York Times feature 2021) I was intrigued. These are my neighbors. Ha! And yesterday I took a drive up the street, and I do mean up, to get a glimpse of it (the driveway and gate) for myself. The house is exactly .4 miles from Snowberry, but it’s a mile drive up a narrow, windy, private road. All I could think of was how in the world did they get construction materials up there?
The home was purchased by a tech entrepreneur and his philanthropist wife in 2018 and they spent two years and $10 million dollars on the total renovation. It’s contemporary in style but filled with lots of color and the homeowners art collection. It’s recently hit the market for $12.9 million. I wonder why they’re selling?
The following images by Peter Lyons.
Look at the California poppy wall mural.
The main living space great room.
Now for the fun stuff. A 1200 bottle wine room, billiards and theater rooms, and home gym opening to the backyard.
The primary bedroom and bath.
Decks, decks and more decks.
I appreciate the whimsy of this kids bathroom.
His and her home offices. This is hers (his isn’t worth showing).
Last but not least the pool, cabana and outdoor kitchen with pizza oven.
The 7,851 sqft house sit on a 3.4 acre property and includes 6 bedrooms, 6 baths, 2 home offices, 4 Tesla power walls and a private apartment. You can view the real estate listing here. And read more about the home, and homeowners, here and here.
Odds & Socks ~
- Have you heard of a surf brush?! I learned about it from some Southern California ladies on my Italy trip and if you live … or are vacationing … near the beach you’ll need one. Or two.
- If you aren’t following my friend Kym Showers Life Coach on Instagram, what are you doing?! Kym’s daily doses of wisdom and encouragement … and fun fashion … are part of my morning ritual. And her Thursday podcasts are essential listening for women in the second half of life (or any stage of life).
- This week, in my quest to find the perfect white t-shirt, I’ve been wearing this one and it’s definitely a favorite.
- I’ve been extolling the virtues of this cordless lamp set that’s on my patio table. These cordless lanterns are another fun summer patio option. They adorned the poolside tables at our Puglia hotel’s pizzeria and everyone swooned over them.
Current Favorites ~
And that’s what I have for you today. Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth.
In case you missed it, last week I shared yummy soup and biscuit recipes, a good spy novel, my new favorite pair of summer sandals and more … catch up here.
Cheers from Snowberry!
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