Nothing So Lovely As Our Trees

The suburb where I live, south of a Sacramento that calls itself "The City of Trees," is rife with ancient Valley Oaks. For all the architects who designed where I live and housing boom builders who made it all happen, nobody has managed to beat what was here first. That these protected, lovely old giants preside undisturbed over our city parks is all the better.

Morning and evening:




Late afternoon, another park nearby:

Hail The California Bungalow

California became home to thousands of Craftsman Bungalows early in the 20th Century - and for my two cents no home design ever beat it. I acknowledge a certain prejudice, having lived in a 1919 model in Fresno from 1988 to 2001. It took our breath away at first look and when we left it to move to Sacramento my wife and I were sure we'd never live again in a house as nice as that bungalow on Huntington Boulevard.

Near the newspaper where I work in Midtown Sacramento there are numerous bungalows at the corner of 26th and Q streets. Here's a handful of my favorites.