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1450 Bentley Street in Concord, offered at $415,000

• Move in ready
• 1642 square feet
• 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths
• Large living areas
• Formal dining room and family room with built in bookcases
• Well kept yard with large lawns, two patios, an orange tree and outdoor storage building
• Central heat and air conditioning
• Wood floors and new carpet
• Dual pane windows
• Updated roof
• Fresh paint
• Neighborhood located between Oak Grove Road and Bancroft for easy commute access

See more photos at www.1450Bentley.com!

Long time proponent of alternative transportation, Eric Johnson has run an electric scooter and electric bicycle company called Green Wheelin Scooters for a couple of years now in the Walnut Creek area of Contra Costa County.  A GREEN business, Eric is commited to the cause.  Just visit his showroom and you'll see the enthusiasm and glee he has when talking about his product.  Eric has generously donated a Sorrento GT Electric Scooter and an Electric Bicycle (each valued at $1899) to GreenFEST and SCOCO (sustainable Contra Costa) Gala event on September 29, 2010. Both GreenFEST and SCOCO are part of the sustainability movement in Contra Costa County, California and have nonprofit ID numbers for your donations to the raffle.    Tickets for the Sorrento at 1 for $10, 3 for $25 and 7 for $50...go to www.GreenFESTContraCosta.com to hear more about GreenFEST on August 14, 2010 and call or email info@GreenFestContraCosta.com for tickets to the raffle.  You need not be present to win.

Sorrento GT
Classic Italian Styling
Gear-reduction GT motor with hill-climbing capabilities
Reduced seat to handlebar distance optimized for smaller riders
Headlight assembly that turns when handlebars turn for added nighttime riding safety
Approximate range on a single charge: 35 mile
MP3 ready
With its prominent front fairing and classic Italian styling, the Sorrento GT will remind you of an Italian pop-culture icon.  Its shorter wheelbase and compact frame makes the Sorrento GT ideal for smaller riders, but still big enough for most adults.  Locking cargo hold and underseat storage, alarm system, locking handlebars and cruise control are all standard features. The unique headlight assembly on the Sorrento turns as you turn to spot potholes and road debris before it spots you.

Join us for a Festival...Meet the Green Businesses in your community.  Prizes, BIG prizes from our sponsors, test ride a scooter, see the alternative fuel vehicles, Prius and more...demos on composting, water filtration systems, solar comparison, and much more.  See the flier

http://www.greenfestcontracosta.com/

Why Realtors?  Well as you may be aware Realtors live in homes and "farm" neighborhoods where they live and work.  They want their neighborhoods and their clients neighborhoods to be healthy and sustainable for current and future value. So it's a natural for Realtors to be involved in the sustainability movement locally and globally.  Realtors have reason to refer businesses to their clients on a daily basis so more than any other profession we have an impact on the improvements and upgrades made on real property.  Realtors are well educated and actively seeking the vendors that are sustainable and Green in their business, products and practices.  GreenFEST is a fun and exciting way to show the community those businesses.

http://www.buildingagreencommunity.com/?page_id=88

Point Lobos

Well you may not think Point Lobos is local to San Francisco, but just a couple of hours down the coast is a day trip you won't believe...the sites are amazing and breathtaking, you will hike trails with views that are unparalleled and rare except for a few places on earth.  See what I mean?

For that Hawaii atmosphere, the pounding roar of the waves, whale watching, we have it all right here and you don't have to get on an airplane to get there.  For more information http://www.pointlobos.org/Information.html  a little info from the website tells about how Point Lobos got it's name:

"Deriving its name from the offshore rocks at Punta de los Lobos Marinos, Point of the Sea Wolves, where the sound of the sea lions carries inland, the Reserve has often been called "the crown jewel of the State Park System." Point Lobos has offered many things to millions of people who have visited it over the years. Point Lobos State Reserve has outstanding passive recreation values, such as sightseeing, photography, painting, nature study, picnicking, SCUBA diving, and jogging. In addition to the spectacular beauty, nearly every aspect of its resources is of scientific interest. There are rare plant communities, endangered archeological sites, unique geological formations, and incredibly rich flora an fauna of both land and sea."

Japanese Tea Garden.

We hadn't been to the Japanese Tea Garden for about 20 years and when friends came to visit from Canada in January...the Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest public Japanese garden in the United Stated located inside Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.

Since they came to California to see our sights We decided to take them there to have a cup of tea and cookies in the garden.  It was great fun, relaxing to stroll the walkways, sit and look at the water features in various places and of course the amazing architecture and beautiful flowers.  See for yourself, and if you haven't been for a while, a day off in the City (SF of course) is a nice outing... Sometimes we take for granted what is right here for us to enjoy.

Did you know in the City of Clayton we have wildlife???

Ostriches on the Seeno Property in the Oakhurst country club... when you walk along the trail, sidewalk that sides where they are resting, walking, grazing... they will follow you.  I tried it the other day, walk, stop and they walk and stop with you .  they are quite large and fascinating to my grandkids, as they are not often seen outside of a zoo or animal preserve.

The many faces of Mount Diablo...

Mt. Diablo State Park in December 2009 up the road through Concord, into Walnut Creek and up the mountain from Oak Grove Road...Had you been here in December, 2009 when it snowed  you might have been looking at the trees full of snow...and been hit by a snowball by one or two or three or four of the cutest (if I do say so myself) kids in the clayton area...If you can name any of them I'll send you a lottery ticket...

From heather Farm Park... ...Mt. Diablo

To SAVE the many faces of Mt. Diablo to enjoy forever...check out Save Mount Diablo:

Save Mount Diablo is proud of its 38 - year history and its efforts in helping increase open space on and around the mountain from 6,788 acres to more than 100,000 acres.

www.SaveMountDiablo.org  This beautiful resource frames much of what we do in the Bay area...it would be a shame to have the habitats and ecology be lost.

I met Julie Seelen, Development Manager for Save Mount Diablo at a recent Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce event.  We vowed to talk more at a later time as there is so much to know, see, do and learn about our glorious Mount Diablo.  If you don't get the information you need on the website...or to find out how you can help, email jseelen@savemountdiablo.org

Clayton, California Oakhurst Country Club walk

On a walk through Oakhurst Country Club, Clayton California...you miss a lot when you just drive through Oakhurst in Clayton.  The area is a well thought out series of communities surrounded by greenbelts and beautiful scenery that is part of our Mt. Diablo Foothills experience here in Clayton, California.

For example.  The waterfall that is part of the golf course. The waterfall is not running every day so it's a treat to see it flowing . 

Here I am just about to climb the BIG hill which is what we walkers call it...along side the golf course going up toward the SEENO home at the top of the hill and several luxury home subdivisions in the country club.

Some golf course shots seldom seen if you don't walk just about 10 steps off the trail...

31 parks...where are they???

This is Concord Community Park, Cowell Road, Concord

One of the reasons my husband and I decided to move our family to Concord 35 years ago was the community services, parks and activities for families.  We still live here for much the same reason which is why you'll notice my frame of reference for most of my posts is related to children.  We now have 5 grandchildren from 3 to 12...so needless to say parks are a huge part of our life.

Concord community park has a swimming pool, soccer fields and huge play areas for those waiting for people doing the other activities or just a destination...the play structures are age appropriate and as you can see challenging and rewarding when you finally make it across the bars, etc. 

Try guessing where the other 30 parks are or click on this link and see for yourself. 

http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/pdf/recreation/parks/parksmap.pdf