Take a flashlight tour in the evening this Halloween season at the Haunted Winchester Mystery House!

Dining at Smith Flat House in Placerville, CA- delicious and reasonably priced! Eat in a gold mine!

I love Smith Flat House in Placerville, CA.  Delicious risotto, creme brûlée, and food is yummy and reasonably priced for gourmet fare!

The Lodge on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, CA for drinks - wood cabin feel with taxidermy on walls

In September the Lodge on Piedmont Avenue opened, owned by the same people who have Dogwood.  The menu is meat focused, though they do have grilled cheese sandwiches.  There are animal heads on the walls and a large bear skin on the ceiling.  Some people really like the cabin feel.  I haven't been to this place yet, but want to visit.

Resources:

The Lodge
open Monday to Thursday
4PM to 12am
Friday to Sunday, 12pm to 12am
3758 Piedmont Avenue
Oakland, CA
(510) 350-8470

Mindfulness gift kit includes book, candle, chocolates, and colored pencils

I just sent a mindfulness gift kit to my cousin, it included a daily mindfulness inspiration book from Thich Nhat hang, 2 mindfulness coloring books, a beeswax candle, dark chocolates, and a colored pencil set.

Moments of Mindfulness
Daily Inspiration
Thich Nhat hanh
Parallel Press
Berkeley, cA

"To practice mindfulness is to be conscious of each moment of our lives."  Thich Nhat hang

Coloring For Mindfulness Garden
50 Designs to help you de-stress
Hamlyn

The Mindfulness Coloring Book- Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People by Emma Farrarons

Studio Series
Colored Pencil set
30 Premium Colored Pencils
2014 Peter Pauper Press

All of the above kit contents are from Diesel Book in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, CA

Scented candles and small dark chocolates from Pharmaca Pharmacy also in the Rockridge district of Oakland, CA.

Art In Nature Festival, 11AM to 5PM on September 20th, 2015 at Redwood Regional Park, Steam Trail

The Art in Nature Festival is a multidisciplinary event at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, CA.  There will be 12 interactive theme areas designed to express creativity.  Some of the mediums involve dance, sculpture, painting, martial arts, poetry, body painting, circus arts, and theater.  There will be visual arts, storytelling, arts and crafts and a children's area.

Resources:

Art in Nature Festival

When:  11am to 5 PM
             September 20, 2015

Where:  Redwood Regional Park
              Steam Trail

Information:  www.samavesha.org/productions/art-in-nature-festival.  The festival is accessed by a free 10-minute shuttle bus from Merritt College that goes directly to the entrance of the festival.  The shuttle bus depot and parking lot is at 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland, CA.

Recommended Peruvian casual restaurant in Oakland, CA - Cholita LInda

My son and I have been to Cholita Linda two times and he loves it.  Both times we got take out, but looking around, it would be a fun casual date for delicious Peruvian food and drinks!  I love the decor of the place, it is very comfortable and makes you want to sit down and stay awhile!

The restaurant was named after the owners Peruvian born mother, Cholita.  The term is commonly used as a term of endearment in Peru.  Cholita means girl of native or mixed heritage and LInda means pretty or sweet.

In the owners family, food was the courtesy of his beautiful mother or feisty grandmother.  He was the youngest of 4 and spent quite a bit of time with his grandmother, and they'd spend the day at the farmers market, come home and have tea, and then cook a delicious meal and she'd tell him stories.

"A good meal seems to bridge gaps, to warm hearts and somehow connect people."
(from Cholita Linda website)


Resources:
Cholita Linda
4923 Telegraph Avenue
Monday through Saturday
11:00AM to 10:00PM
www.cholitalinda.com

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Challah French Toast at home - yum!