Ramble 33: Where the sidewalks end...

Sunday: a "day of rest" so, in Ramble 33, Marge rests from recent "kvetch-style" Rambles and, instead, celebrates little known Alameda parks.

During an early spring Ramble along our island's eastern shoreline Marge and Sergei' discovered two little known mini parks. Close inspection of the pix show that, yes, these parks along the eastern shoreline are small, almost hidden and most lovely. .

This one, off East Shore Drive, threads between two houses.
Here, Sergei takes the pic looking west / north west toward the park's entrance.

Perhaps "park" is too firm a definition for this spot is more like where a sidewalk ends .
But, look!
How beautiful and peaceful.
Sergei aims his camera toward Oakland.

 
Looking west toward Harbor Bay with Mt. Trashmore on the horizon.
Mt. Trashmore, the highest point in Alameda, was once a municipal garbage dump. (Read more about Mt. Trashmore.) Now covered with grass it makes a lovely walk along the shoreline after passing over the Harbor Bay bridge and heading south rather than west (which wends along the Harbor Bay shoreline.)

Marge loves seaweed (as she describes in Ramble 26: The Twelve Faces of Seaweed).
This seaweed is not really "sea" weed but more like "shore" weed.
Marge is sure there is someone 'out there' who could name and describe this sea-/shore-weed.
Meanwhile, Marge believes that, with a little modification, this photo could offer a template for a great texture that could be used for...well, screened onto a pot or vase or something similar.


Another (more park-y) park in the same area.

This is an actual park, though small. It has a name but, sorry, right now Marge does not have that name; she will find it and edit this post when she does.

How does Marge know this is an actual park?
Well, it has city signs: one states, "dogs must be kept on leash"...another presents park hours..yet another warns about loitering after hours....
Shown to the right, Marge looks down Central Avenue! Yes, this is where Central Ave, after running all the way along the ...center... of our island, ends. The cross street is East Shore Drive.

Then, turn around, and...voila!
A tree-lined walkway...with a bench that invites a weary traveler...

along the way to the bench this lovely tree...
and










...on arriving at the bench...

 
there is a memorial...

Brandon Sorensen, 13 years old and a student at Lincoln Middle School, was riding his bicycle on May 16, 2011.
A car hit him on Everett Street at Santa Clara Avenue. He died on his way to the hospital.







Looking west

...a closer view of the home situated along the shoreline looking, again, toward Mt. Trashmore.

While it is sad to leave this lovely, quiet spot Marge and Sergei's exit, however, offers another surprise: 

a toucan sculpture in the yard on the corner and...

 

the yard across the street from the park entrance displays colorful strelitzia.

All in all, a wonderful stroll into two of Alameda's hidden gem parks.