Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

Leona Heights neighborhood activity has been picking up this summer. Saturday strolls initiated by Marilyn King and her friends have had a salutary impact on exercise, acquaintanceship, and communication among residents. By accessing the Internet Web site groups.Yahoo.com/group/LeonaHeights, you too can find out where the group gathers on sunny Saturdays, and join them.

A summer stroll in the Leona area can take you back to the early days of Oakland, when the mines were being worked, the quarries were operating as Oakland was built, and into the early times of Oaklanders' recreation and transportation. If you are a new resident in our neighborhood, you may get interesting stories from those you stroll with. Or you may well find out about our neighbor, Mills College, its history and contributions to this region over the years. The strolls could include the Lake Aliso area of the campus too. Come on out and enjoy the fun and the exercise!

What unusual tree or trees do you have in your yard? In our yard we have a beautiful cork oak tree. The acorn from which this tree sprouted was from the original Campo Seco oak tree imported from Portugal by the early California Mexican miners to provide wine-bottle cork material for their off-duty and lunch libations. Campo Seco is in the California Mother Lode area, not far from Lodi. The acorn was placed on its side in a can of mulch, covered by a few oak leaves, propagated by my close friend, William Lange of Lodi, and presented to us about 1970 in a one-gallon can. It is a lovely, shading monarch now but has never produced acorns, I presume because it has no relatives in our neighborhood.

If you would like to share the word of your own interesting tree, send a note to me about your tree, at lavertyhillmob2\@sbcglobal.net.