Tag: Community

Love You A Latte 2024

Most every year, I host my Love You A Latte event at a local coffee shop. I held the 2024 event at Tellus Coffee in downtown Walnut Creek. It’s always nice to get some friends and clients together for a coffee and some chatting about life, real estate, and other topics.

This year, I had about 20 people show up to take part. Thank you to everyone who came to Love You A Latte! I hope you had a good time and look forward to seeing you again next year. In the meantime, I look forward to staying connected whether we’re friends, family, or just business associates.

One attendee mentioned how much he loved that I created community with events like this. That is a major goal of mine as a realtor. We live in a wonderful community and I want to be a trusted source for real estate and various service providers and just a great friend to the people who have been here for me most of my adult life. I think we can all stand to interact in-person a little more these days, too!

Love You A Latte was a really great, intimate event and there were some memorable conversations. Tellus coffee (click to see past blog) was also a great place to host this event, just look at all the greenery and brick. The staff was nice and helpful, I highly recommend stopping by for some coffee and great ambiance. I really appreciate the all those who came and look forward to another great event in 2025! Will you be there?

Donations to Paradise

As mentioned in my blog on Tuesday, the proceeds and donations from my Love You A Latte event went straight to the fire victims in Paradise, CA. In addition, I posted that we were taking up donations on NextDoor, and many people went out of their way to donate items there. Last Sunday, we drove everything up to Paradise and the weather cooperated with blue skies. We knew the fire was devastating, but we were still shocked to see what kind of shape the town is still in and the needs of the people who lived there.

I want to say thank you one more time to everyone who contributed. We had three trucks full of donations; from tents, to pillows, boots, sleeping bags, food, and water. It was really an impressive showing of community support and appreciated by the folks of Paradise! Kathy, who was the inspiration for helping Paradise, also had two tables to donate and coordinated on the Facebook page “Paradise Fire Adopt a Family” with a family who indicated they would take them, prior to our drive up. They met us at the last ongoing facility that is still providing items to Paradise.

The Magalia Community Church has provided their parking lot to set up two tents: one for needed supplies, food, and clothing, and the other to serve food. In addition, they allow the use of their kitchen to serve meals in the other tent. We also volunteered our time helping unload bags and organizing some of the items. The biggest project was the shoes – they had been sorted through and in different locations, many were single shoes, so we dumped all the boxes and sorted them into pairs by men, women, and children. We ended up throwing a bag of single shoes out along with some very worn out pairs.

I also would like to give a big shout out to Noah’s Bagels for their donation of bagels – whatever was left over on Saturday before they closed, were donated and served for breakfast on Monday. The other giving business was 54 Mint on Locust who made fresh loaves of bread early Sunday morning. Those loaves were gone from the community store before we left. A reminder, that there is still a great need that won’t go away soon. If you really want to help, check out the Facebook site and it could be as simple as sending a birthday card to someone!

Goodbye, old friend!

Recently, the Parkmead community had to say goodbye to one of its most magnificent, ancient, well-regarded friends. A huge redwood tree on Lilac Dr., that had served as a sort of landmark for the neighborhood, was cut down.

Many neighbors were out watching the tree come down, because it wasn’t just any other tree. This was a tree an arborist estimated was more than 150 years old. It was something recognized by anyone who traveled through, or lived in, Parkmead.

In its place now is a big gap of air, which will never replace the beauty of the huge redwood tree. Unfortunately, the tree had a disease in its roots, and was in danger of dying and falling on nearby houses.

Despite that danger, the owner was saddened, and told me it felt like he was losing an old friend. Even my son, who came home for Thanksgiving, noticed it had been cut down and was sad to see a gap in the skyline.  It’s disappointing any time a tree has to be removed, but especially when it has lived through so much! Rick – the owner – speculated the neighborhood was designed around the tree as there are two other redwoods in rear neighbor’s houses that are estimated at 50 years of age each.

For the record, 150 years ago? That was 1867, when Walnut Creek was only 18 years old!

Art Town: Hummingbirds on Broadway Paseo

Walnut Creek has done a lot of cool things with the rebuilding of Broadway Plaza, but one of my favorite new additions is all the art that’s going in to complement the buildings!

Recently, I was wandering the Broadway Paseo near the parking garage and saw Joyce Hsu’s hummingbird statues in front of Tommy Bahama’s. I think they look awesome and really draw a pedestrian’s eye to the color and form (they look as if they’re in flight)!

After doing a little research, I discovered that it’s part of a larger art installation called “Rawr,” which will also consist of a large robot T-Rex and a dinosaur bench just outside Macy’s. They are meant as both art and as a place for children to take a break when shopping.

According to the official approval documents, Hsu has always been intrigued by childhood fables, because it’s a reinterpretation of how the “adult” society works. She created the sculptures to remind visitors to Broadway Plaza of the importance of fun, play and imagination when building a stronger community.

Here’s a fun fact that also inspired Hsu’s hummingbirds and helped make them an obvious inclusion in the theme of her overall project: hummingbirds are, in fact, the smallest living dinosaurs!

Just Be Yoga is my go-to spot in Walnut Creek

About 1 1/2 years ago, I joined Just Be Yoga after I went on a Just Be and Dragon Fly Yoga retreat to Nosara, Costa Rica. I went with my favorite yoga teacher who I originally met at Forma Gym, named Kelli.

The owner of Just Be Yoga, Jenny Wendell, has created an amazing community. The people and the instructors there are incredible. The yoga studio itself has a 2-door glass garage that opens and shuts whenever necessary. They have heated classes, a little courtyard outside of the studio, and multiple yoga retreats per year from Yosemite to Hawaii, among other domestic and international locations. Another of my favorite instructors, Malia Hill, even offers an occasional SUP (stand-up paddleboard) yoga class in Alameda! This summer she is headed to Croatia for a SUP/Yoga retreat.

Courtesy of Just Be Yoga’s website.


I think my favorite thing about going to Just Be Yoga and the retreat in Costa Rica, were meeting all the great people and instructors and just feeling like I belong. The benefits of learning to breathe, sweat and get that afterglow/relaxed feeling is a big release from the stress of daily life as a real estate agent.

A big benefit to yoga, in general, is that they really get you in touch with your body. I had no idea how much I lacked in range of motion and flexibility. Kelli’s classes often focus on areas I never knew I could stretch like hips, IT bands and sides. These tend not to be the Deep Yoga class, but they have some great Vinyasa flow and I love the Yin classes. Just Be Yoga is located right behind Wish downtown. Check them out, try them out and come be part of this wonderful community. You can do an introductory trial month for $39.

Courtesy of Just Be Yoga’s website.

As for the retreat, we stayed at Blue Spirit and I stayed in the Eco Hut. I thought it meant “eco-friendly hut,” but I was wrong. Oops! It had no A/C, it was a shared room, and it was more than 100 uphill steps to get to the yoga studio and it meant economy hut ;-).

Despite all that, the experience was unforgettable! There was evening meditation, yoga twice a day and plenty of time to enjoy the beach (which was right next to our resort), horseback riding, surfing and more. Check out this slideshow below!

 

Broadway Plaza grand opening

Last Thursday, you may have been startled by big explosions in downtown Walnut Creek. Don’t worry, it was only fireworks signifying Broadway Plaza’s grand re-opening at their “Party in the Plaza” event! If you missed the food trucks and concert that night, you can still catch the encore to the celebration tomorrow (Fri., Sept. 9) from 6-9 p.m.

broadway_plaza_walnut_creek_01

Tomorrow’s festivities are themed “A Night of Thanks” and is aimed to thank the community for its patience and support during construction. There will be in-store events, musical performances, food and wine tastings, and more. Boudin, Clarks, GAP, Diablo Magazine and the Walnut Creek Downtown are sponsors and partners of the event.

We can’t guarantee more fireworks, but this seems like a pretty great way to spend a warm summer night downtown, exploring the newest re-addition to the city. The one-night only celebration will include a special “Meet & Greet” from a NYX celebrity beauty influencer, a Fall Fashion sneak peek, and a fundraiser for Wardrobe for Opportunity.

Stores participating with special events or deals include:

  • Allen Edmonds
  • Athleta
  • Hanna Andersson
  • J. Jill
  • Kate Spade New York
  • Kiehl’s
  • L’Occitane
  • Macy’s
  • Sephora
  • Soma Intimates

Fringe brings freshness to WC floral scene

IMG_3819 (1)Fringe Flower Co. in Walnut Creek is not your typical flower shop. With their unique designs, highly-green approach and free delivery to the nearby Kaiser hospital, Sarah and Jeanne do everything differently.

They were two florists who met by chance, conquered a big wedding together, and then decided they wanted a brick and mortar location in the area.IMG_3818

Last year, they founded it and opened up Fringe next to George’s Giant Hamburgers. And now, they’re really in business.

Both Sarah and Jeanne are from the Bay Area and are committed to a holistic business. They source their florals from premium flowers and local IMG_3820growers. Additionally, they work with recycled containers, compost, and deliver leftover florals to community groups, among other philanthropic efforts.

If you ever need a floral arrangement for an event or a wedding, make sure to give them a call! Deliveries can be made online, over the phone or via walk-in, and Fringe specializes in weddings, events, and corporate accounts.

They are open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and on Saturday’s from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

 

What’s New in Walnut Creek this Week?!

Upcoming Events: 6/17-6/23

6th Annual June Wine Walk:

Date: Wednesday, June 19th

Time: 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM

Stroll through beautiful Downtown Town Walnut Creek while enjoying unique tastings from over 15 local wineries! The event will begin at Pro Home Systems located at 1561 Civic Drive, here you will receive your commemorative tasting glass and a map of businesses participating. During the event, you will also be able to enjoy stunning art displays and live music. Tickets are available for $40 the day of the event, or $30 pre-sale from these locations: Atlas, Mechanics Bank, Main St. Postal and Walnut Creek DBA Office. All proceeds from the June Wine Walk will be donated to the Walnut Creek Aquanauts.

Senator Desaulnier Town Hall Meeting- Health Care Reform:

 Date: Thursday, June 20th

Time: 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM

               California State Senator, Mark Desaulnier invites you to attend a town hall meeting to learn more about how the Affordable Health Care Act will benefit Walnut Creek residents. The meeting will take place at the Walnut Creek City Council Chamber, located at 1666 North Main St. To RSVP, visit https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/SurveysDirect.php?district=SD07&survey=3387&.

 

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk:

 Date: Saturday, June 22nd

Time: 8:00 AM

             The American Cancer Society is sponsoring at 5K walk around Heather Farms Park. This is a free event to raise awareness for cancer research and to provide support for both cancer survivors and those currently battling cancer. Registration will begin at Heather Farms at 8 AM, the walk will begin at 9 AM. Come enjoy a beautiful Saturday morning in the park and support a great cause! For more information, contact Ashley Fairchild at Ashley.Fairchild@cancer.org.

 

 Free Advanced Compost Workshop:

 Date: Saturday, June 22nd

Time: 10:30 AM- 12:00 PM

            A free workshop hosted at the Walnut Creek Library for those who want to learn more about organic gardening and natural ways to control pests. For more information, Email Ashley@wastedivision.org.