San Mateo Marriott San Francisco Airport
SEARCH will be at the Imagination Fair this Saturday, will you?
Saturday May 26th
10:00am-4:00pm
Imagination Fair
Free to the public
Join us at the Imagination Fair. Take selfies with Inkjet, the incredible cepholopod, chat with authors, get freebies, enjoy face painting, and answer trivia questions to get awesome swag from CometTV, like Tank Girl T-shirts, The Craft protection sachets, and alien gifts.
Authors present will be: Laurel Anne Hill, Sumiko Saulson, J. Malcolm Stewart, Loren Rhoads, Emerian Rich, Mercy Hollow, E.M. Markoff, Trinity Adler, and more!
This is a free event with swag to spare!
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The sea has always been a mystical and hypnotic entity beckoning us to play. From the early explorers called to the edge of the Earth in search of treasure to deep sea divers excited by new species, mankind can’t help but be mesmerized by its power, bounty, and beauty.
A brisk walk along B Deck led us to the infamous Room B340 where the stage was set, complete with crystal ball, tarot deck, and Ouija board. The Commodore’s tales of B340 were eerie and its reputation was such that the room, until recently, has been unoccupied and out of use for years. But new guests are in luck! The newly renovated space is now available to the public and you can book your own stay in the haunted B340. During its earlier years of occupancy, sleeping guests awakened to find the covers flown back and figures of people standing alongside the bed. Housekeeping reports include making up the room, only to return moments later to tousled spreads and sheets and everything in disarray. Our group, while exploring the dimly lit room, complained of vertigo and headaches and the stalwart Commodore confessed his own extreme discomfort. “I would never spend a night in this cabin,” he added.
Commissioned in 1936, the Queen Mary was a state-of-the-art luxury cruising vessel, one of the grandest ocean liners ever built. During World War II, with resources being scarce, she was retrofitted as a troop ship, nicknamed the “Grey Ghost”, and began service to the allied forces. After her return to civilian life, in the late 1940’s, she again spent a number of years in the luxury liner industry, but travel was a changing landscape and more and more people took to the air. The Queen Mary was tired, weathered, and no longer in demand. In 1967, finding a resting place in Long Beach, California, she’s become an iconic landmark that everyone should attempt to see.
Ruth Bancroft Garden is a tranquil garden in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Walnut Creek. Nestled behind a fence line, it’s an oasis full of succulents. The garden is a place where you can view exotic and endangered plant life year around, meditate in nature, or view local artist sculptures at one of the many annual events they host each year. Most residents of Contra Costa County have never heard of Ruth Bancroft Garden or what she accomplished with her collection of exotic succulents. Bancroft is not just a street tying Concord, Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill together. It’s a landmark dedicated to a great woman who was fascinated by succulents.
I was not always a gardener. I’d lived in dorms, apartments, and rented a house without ever noticing the plants around me. Once I owned my own house, I became excited at the possibilities for the sad, weed-riddled plots circling my yard. I wanted my kids outdoors, riding bicycles and playing tag. A neighbor kindly took me under her wing, perhaps inspired by the view of my yard through her front window, and opened my eyes to the many annuals, perennials, herbs, and evergreens. I found every plant interesting and soon brought home dozens of plants with every kind of foliage and flower.
Since then, my landscaping has calmed down. I’ve learned to arrange the same plants in groupings so they’re more noticeable and easier to maintain, and to appreciate the strength of a good shrub instead of spending money on perennials that flower for a week and do nothing the rest of the year. My gardening fever has calmed, but the joy of seeing new life never ends.
