Paul Lewin at Betty Ono Gallery.

I dropped by one of my favorite art gallery's- Betty Ono in Oakland and they had a new exhibition of a local artist up. His name is Paul Lewin and his surreal paintings. This exhibition is a modern interpretation of tribal legends and days gone by. These beautiful paintings combine a lot of things-ancient masks, motifs, Mardi Gras and Day of the Dead into the circle of life:

And one thing that was cool was that Paul Lewin was there to talk about his work:

Paul Lewin

I am not an art person but I like stuff that stands out and looks cool. Paul Lewin's paintings are cool and really detailed. I loved them

Welcome to Laurel Book Store

I hit one of my favorite bookstores and that is the Laurel BookStore in Downtown Oakland. It is a great place and they have many author events:

Laurel Book Store is one of the most relaxing bookstores I have been to.

California's State Capitol Buliding

I decided to visit the State Capitol Building of California in Sacramento. I have never been there. It was completed in 1874 and redone in 1970's. It is an interesting building:

Statue of Queen Isabella and Columbus after she decided to finance his voyage

State Assembly Chambers

Looking up at the rotunda

Statue of former Governor and President Ronald Reagan

The bear outside the Governor's office (which is closed to the public)

Lt.Governor Gavin Newson's office was open

They have portraits of all the Governor's up in the state house:

Current Gov.Jerry Brown when he was Governor in the late 70's-early 80's

Our previous Governor

And the grounds also have cool stuff to look at:

Statue of Fr. Junipero Serra

Thomas Starr King

Honoring those who have served in the Spanish-American War

Bell from the Battleship USS California

The California State Capitol Building is a great place to visit and learn about this state's history.

Music Monday: My Summer Fun in Song

On this Music Monday, we are going to hear through song things I like to do during the summer:

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into things I do in the summer.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

I decided to a tourist thing and went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in San Francisco. I had never been there and decided why not. It was cool seeing and reading about famous people. It did have a San Francisco Flair to it:

Carlos Santana

Jimi Hendrix

Jerry Garcia

Al Capone in his cell at Alcatraz

The Dalai Lama

Rosa Parks

Steve Jobs

Dr.Martin Luther King

President Obama

Babe Ruth

Joe Montana

Bob Marley

Elvis

Louis Armstrong

Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry

Bruce Lee

Steve McQueen in Bullitt

Madame Tussaud's was nice and enjoyed myself. I usually don't do the tourist thing but this time I am happy I did. It was well worth.